


Settle Down

by Coheed275



Category: Guild Wars (Video Game), Guild Wars 2 (Video Game), Guild Wars Series (Video Games)
Genre: Asura - Freeform, F/F, F/M, M/M, NSFW, gw2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-08-04 16:56:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16350551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Coheed275/pseuds/Coheed275
Summary: Frixx and Vicxxa's progeny has arrived, and they couldn't be happier. They wonder, however, if they should do anything on the wild side before they settle down for their future.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a sequel to "By Chance". It's going to be a mix of telling the story of their lives, with some chapters that focus on the explicit stuff. 
> 
> This story involves original characters from two different krewes. For some basic context on my characters, visit https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CB90uw1_sOGYrdu-Sob2rOjzdERb9pEg/view?usp=sharing
> 
> For more on EthanW's characters, you can find him at http://ethanw-artblog.tumblr.com/ or his NSFW page at http://ethanwkrewe.tumblr.com/
> 
> For posts and updates on my fics, follow me at https://coheed275fics.tumblr.com/

               The bitter chill of night time in the Shiverpeaks failed to pierce through the warmth of asura magitechnology powering Darren’s lab. At this early hour, all the krewe slept comfortably in warm beds, while outside, fierce winds billowed and swirled up patches of loose snow. Inside, all remained quiet until a dormant power generator buzzed to life, seemingly on its own.

                “What in the…” Crados, a charr and Darren’s liaison to the Order of Whispers, happened to be awake at this early hour, his stomach calling to him long before breakfast time. The krewe kitchen lied a short distance from the source of commotion, and he quickly switched his grip from a sandwich to a nearby cooking knife.

                Slipping through the shadows, Crados placed himself next to the power generator, readying an attack if necessary. This generator connected to an asuran gate, which allowed instant transport from this lab to another krewe they’d grown close with. While the gate connected to a friendly location, whoever was coming through at this time of night, unannounced, may not be welcome in either lab.

                Crados reached his hand out just as a female asura came running through the gate, her lungs gasping for air as his clawed fingers halted her forward momentum. “I’m- gah… with Jinxx’s lab! Our gate has three levels of security on it! Come on, man!” She squirmed out of Crados’s grip, panting for breath.

                “Sorry,” Crados said. “Force of habit. What’s your name?”

                “Roxxi, but that’s not important right now.”

                “Then why are you here so late at night?”

                “Look, I don’t schedule people’s vaginas, alright?” Roxxi flung her hands in the air, then crossed her arms. “Enough with the interrogation, it’s baby time!”

                Crados’s eyes widened. “Oh shit, the _one_ night they’re not sleeping together-“

                “Again, not in charge of the timetable,” she interrupted. “Can you just get Frixx out here already?”

 

**

 

                Frixx scrambled down hospital halls as fast as his bare feet allowed him. He wore a loose shirt and pants, forgetting shoes in his rush to get through the portal and onward to Rata Sum’s hospital. Crados came with him, following behind at a much slower pace. If a creature his size tore through the hallways at Frixx’s speed, he’d certainly knock over an asura or two.

                When Frixx arrived at the door number provided, he skidded to a halt. Bursting through the door at a time like this would do more harm than good. He needed to show calm for her sake. Despite his eagerness to enter, Frixx took several deep breaths, allowing his heart rate to slow. He placed his hand on the door panel and stepped inside.

                Vicxxa laid on the hospital bed, eyes shut tight as she winced in pain. A small golem took notes on a keypad, monitoring contraction length. Jinxx sat next to Vicxxa, holding her hand. Vicxxa’s pain died down, but she kept her eyes closed as the door opened. When Jinxx saw Frixx, she smiled and spoke up.

                “Hey Vicxxa, look who’s here.”

                Before Vicxxa even opened her eyes, Frixx stood at her side. She smiled, reaching out her opposite hand. Frixx took it, kissing the back before squeezing her palm. “You made it,” she said.

                “Of course,” Frixx replied. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

                Frixx and Vicxxa met nearly a full year ago. Their relationship began in a rather unusual fashion, meeting when Frixx’s krewe leader Darren traveled down to Jinxx’s lab to look at some products. Less than thirty minutes after meeting, Frixx and Vicxxa had sex, the result of a mutual dry spell that left them both hot and bothered. Neither were normally the type to bang so quickly. Even Vicxxa, a member of Jinxx’s rather sexually active crew, at least made it through a first date or a few days knowing someone before getting it on.

                This strange set of circumstances took even more surprising turns for them as they decided to start a serious relationship, discovering more they liked about each other the longer they spent time together. As if their relationship lacked surprising occurrences, Vicxxa accidentally got pregnant after a weekend getaway with Frixx in Lion’s Arch.

                Original meeting with Vicxxa aside, Frixx was mature. He never shied away from Vicxxa, promising to help take care of the progeny, even if their relationship went south. Now, months later, they still loved each other, and both talked endlessly about their excitement to raise this progeny for years to come.

                “Jinxx, thank you so much for getting her here,” Frixx told his lover’s krewe leader. “It means a lot.”

                “Absolutely, Vicxxa’s like a sister to me,” Jinxx said. “But if my pseudo-sister doesn’t mind, now that you’re here I’d like to grab some coffee. Wish we could control what time these little progeny decide to pop out.”

                “You and me both,” Vicxxa replied. “Go ahead, I’ll be fine.”

                Jinxx stood up, stretched, and left the room, gently closing the door behind her.

                Vicxxa smiled up at Frixx, letting out a sigh. “This is what we get for taking a risk. ‘It’s just one night not sleeping together, what are the chances the baby comes then?’ I feel like the eternal alchemy called us out for our stupidity.”

                “One last random chance in our relationship,” Frixx said. “And I’ve liked the outcome of random chance so far.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. Vicxxa bowed forward and smiled, but stopped for a moment when her eyes caught sight of Frixx’s feet over the edge of her bed.

                “Are you not wearing shoes?”

                Frixx looked down. “Shit. I was so rushed to get out of the lab… I don’t think I put underwear on either.”

                Vicxxa chuckled. “Any other day, that would be hot.”

                “Excuse_me,” the golem in the room turned to face them. One of the miniature models, arcane energy powered its levitation above the ground, rather than maneuvering on legs. “I_am_nurse_golem_six. Your_regular_doctor_is_on_the_way. Playing_pre-recorded_message.”

                The golem seemed to lose its own personality for a moment as it froze in place, the blue glow from its eye changing to white. A male asuran voice emitted from the golem. “This is Dr. Vell, and if you’re hearing this, you’re having a baby at an odd hour. I’ve had so many mothers try and apologize to me for having to wake me up. First off, you’re not in control of this biological process, nothing to be sorry for. Second, I really don’t mind. It comes with the job, and I get far more sleep than when I was a medical student. See you soon.” White changed back to blue as the golem snapped back into its own consciousness.

                “Thank the Alchemy, I didn’t want some random doctor at a time like this,” Vicxxa said. “And thank you for the help, nurse golem.” She bit her lip, fearing the answer to her next question. “Any idea how long before I get this progeny out of me?”

                “From_contraction_analysis, you_are_moving_along_faster_than_most_patients. Estimated_time_of_delivery: two_hours, thirty-seven_minutes.”

                Frixx’s eyes widened, but Vicxxa sighed with relief. “That makes you happy?” he asked.

                “This is your first progeny, I’ve gotten through two already,” she said. “And both took _much_ longer.”

                “I’ll be here for you, the whole time. Unless… that’s enough time to get shoes…”

                “Don’t you dare-“

                “Kidding! Totally kidding. I’ll ask Crados to bring me them.”

                “Hormones_are_at_abnormal_levels_at_this_time,” the golem said, checking a few more diagnostics. “Humor_attempts_from_the_father_are_not_recommended.”

                “Noted,” Frixx said. He kissed Vicxxa’s hand again, and she relaxed. “No more surprises until this is done.”

                “According_to_records, you_wanted_sex_of_progeny_to_remain_hidden. Please_verify.”

                “Yes, we don’t want to know until he or she arrives,” Vicxxa replied.

                “Understood. Exiting_room. Call_if_assistance_is_required.”

                Frixx settled into a chair, keeping his hand outstretched to hold onto Vicxxa. Though becoming a father happened sooner than he expected, his heart pounded with excitement. A new family member to love and care for, show the world to, mentor. All with the love of his life beside him, helping along the way.

                He swore that he’d dedicate himself to becoming the best father possible. He knew that Vicxxa’s previous partner disappeared after their breakup, not bothering to stick around and help raise their two progeny, even if only through money. Frixx would never abandon their little one, no matter what happened to his relationship with Vicxxa.  

                “Let me know if you need anything,” Frixx said. “Nurse golem six is a perfectly nice fellow, but your boyfriend should help, too.”

                “Thanks. For now, just stay here with me and talk me through the pain when it hits. I might squeeze your fingers. _Hard_.”

                “I can take it,” Frixx replied. “And I guess on the bright side regarding our wait time, once the progeny is here, both of our krewes should start waking up.”

 

**

 

                “Keep going, Vicxxa, push!”

                Frixx refused to complain about how much his fingers hurt, knowing it meant nothing compared to what Vicxxa suffered through. His heart pounded as Dr. Vell reached for their newborn, who gave Vicxxa hell as it came into the world.

                “Shoulders_cleared,” the nurse golem stated. “Most_difficult_section_complete. Activating_cheer_protocol. You_can_do_it!”

                “You can, Vicxxa, almost done!” Frixx encouraged, letting her squeeze his hand as hard as she wanted while he held onto her shoulder.

                Vicxxa screamed, pushing with all her might, and at last, relaxed. Dr. Vell hurried to make sure the progeny started breathing, then passed the newborn to his nurse golem to take care of cleaning. Once crying started to echo throughout the room, both Frixx and Vicxxa teared up, ready to cry themselves.

                “You handled this birth wonderfully, Vicxxa,” Dr. Vell said.

                “And I’m never dealing with this bullshit again…” Vicxxa replied in a hoarse whisper, signs of exhaustion clear in her voice.

                “I don’t blame you. Not many mothers reach three, let alone go beyond.”

                “Cleaning_complete. Progeny_wrapped_in_blankets.” Nurse golem six turned around, and Vicxxa held her breath as she saw the first hint of her new progeny’s face.

                Dr. Vell clapped his hands together. “In that case, are you ready to meet?”

                Both nodded. “Fifty-fifty shot, last chance to make a guess,” Frixx said, his heart pounding.

                Taking hold of the progeny, Dr. Vell walked over to Vicxxa’s side, taking his time to set down the little one in Vicxxa’s arms. “Frixx, Vicxxa, meet your baby boy.”

                Crying in Vicxxa’s arms laid the most beautiful sight Frixx had ever seen. A little crying face wrapped up tight in a blanket. His skin matched closely to Frixx’s, a light tan with some darker brown markings on the head and cheeks. His eyes stayed shut most of the time at this point, but Frixx caught glimpses of what clearly matched Vicxxa’s vibrant blue. As slow as possible, nerves wracking him, Frixx reached out a hand to touch the top of his progeny’s head. Barely any hair to speak of, but it looked like Vicxxa’s white shade.

                “Look at him…” Vicxxa laid in bed speechless. As her progeny’s crying slowed, her sobs increased. To hold a progeny in her arms again was unlike any other feeling. Horrid memories rushed back to her.

                Vicxxa attended therapy sessions for over a year after she realized how much she struggled with her past. Several years back, inquest killed her first two progeny, as well as their babysitter, carrying out an order from a horrendously evil woman seeking to make Vicxxa hurt. Without that professional help, Vicxxa guessed that she’d have shut down at this point, unable to handle the torrent of emotions coursing through her. Instead, she kept herself calm, taking deep breaths, and focused on the little one in front of her. A second chance to do things right. “Hello,” she whispered, hugging him to her chest. “I’m your mommy. Your daddy’s right here, too. And we won’t let _anything_ hurt you.”

                “That’s right,” Frixx added quietly. He kissed Vicxxa’s temple, then kept leaning over to look at their progeny. Vicxxa’s past factored into Frixx’s promise to dedicate himself to this boy. He learned of what happened to her after Vicxxa told him she got pregnant. If anyone dared try to come after their progeny, not only two loving parents trained in combat, but two full krewes stood in their way.

                Dr. Vell waited to speak, letting his patient spend their first moment as a parent uninterrupted. “I can leave you alone and get the paperwork started,” he said. “That is, if you have a name decided…”

                Vicxxa looked toward Frixx. “We prepared a name for either sex, you happy with the choice?” she asked.

                Frixx thought for a moment, then nodded.

 

**

 

                Outside Vicxxa’s room, Dr. Vell encountered more people waiting to see her than any other patient whose progeny he’d delivered. A line of asura, even a charr, waited with eager eyes. “Wow, all of you for Vicxxa?”

                “Yes, Frixx is from my krewe and Vicxxa is from Jinxx’s krewe.” Darren, leader of the Krewe of the Pact, stepped up to explain. “We’re all close with the couple. How is she?”

                “She’s doing wonderfully, but this many guests at once would overwhelm her,” Dr. Vell replied. “She’s exhausted after giving birth. Can you split yourselves up by krewe? Have a few go in at a time.”

                Darren agreed. “Sure thing. Jinxx, why don’t you go first? If it weren’t for that inter-lab gate you created, we wouldn’t be standing in Rata Sum anyways.”

                “Say yes.” Roxxi’s body was halfway through the door even as she said that. Jinxx shrugged and followed her, along with Pexxi and Xia. All the senior krewe members wanted to see the new progeny, but some had important work scheduled or were outside the lab. The four who came entered one at a time.

                “Hey!” Roxxi spoke quietly as she stepped in, not wanting to startle the progeny. Frixx and Vicxxa smiled as members of Jinxx’s krewe greeted them. “You did it!”

                “Thanks for coming, everyone,” Vicxxa said. “Promise to be careful, and you can hold him. Say hello to Evann.”

                Jinxx held him first, while everyone cooed and talked about how much he looked like his parents. This was a first for Jinxx’s krewe. While most of her krewemates stayed far more sexually active than an average asura, none of that sex involved a serious relationship; for now, her krewe just messed around. Nix was an exception, maintaining a long-term relationship with someone she loved deeply, but charr and asuran biology wouldn’t be producing offspring any time soon. Holding a newborn in her arms, Jinxx realized how far back her college days lay behind her. Her krewe was growing up.

                “Hey, if we follow human logic, this progeny will be the king of both Darren and Jinxx’s krewe one day,” Roxxi said as she got her turn holding Evann. Her joke got a laugh out of the room, and for a quick moment Evann made a noise, perhaps him trying to follow along, perhaps just a spit bubble.

                “Ah, yes, two krewes united by blood,” Pexxi said, dramatically waving her arms. “How did they come up with such a concept?”

                “Beats me, talk to the human on Darren’s krewe,” Jinxx said. “He used to be part of a noble family, or something like that.”

                All four visitors took a chance to hold Evann, and Vicxxa nearly fell to tears again when Frixx returned their son to her arms. With warm goodbyes, Jinxx and her krewemates returned to their lab, letting Darren and his krewe get a chance to say hello.

 

**

 

                Darren kept his krewe outside for a few more minutes after Jinxx left, then knocked on the door just to be safe. Frixx let them in, giving Crados a wide gap. Luckily, even in locations where only asura lived, most buildings and doorways allowed a large-size golem to travel through without issue. He came in with Ami, the youngest member of Darren’s krewe, who shook with a mix of nervousness and excitement at a chance to hold a progeny. Crados passed on his chance, just saying hello since he’d already woken up.

                Evann started acting up a bit, which was exactly why Darren kept one of his krewemates outside still, just in case. Everyone left the room to give Evann a chance to eat and calm down. Dr. Vell’s nurse golem stopped by, and after all re-settled, Darren returned with the asura Vicxxa wanted to see most this morning.

Batanga, Darren’s wife, held her daughter Jessa, born just over a month before today. “She woke up in a good mood this morning, so I thought it would be nice for them to meet.”

                Vicxxa nodded, and she crouched down next to Vicxxa’s bed, holding Jessa so that she faced Evann. “Meet your new friend, Jessa!” she whispered.

                Still extremely young, Jessa’s eyes wandered the room, her attention span lasting a maximum of five seconds before she wriggled around to look at something else. Yet for a moment, her eyes found Evann’s face, the rest of him still wrapped up in a blanket, and she smiled, reaching her tiny hands out.

                “I’m sure you two will be great friends,” Vicxxa told Evann, wondering if perhaps, on some unconscious level, progeny understood people talking to them. “You and Jessa can push each other to be super strong and smart.”

                Jessa started to look a little upset, signaling Batanga to place her in a more comfortable position again. She rocked her daughter for a few moments, hoping to keep her from crying around the newborn. Jessa relaxed, and Batanga sighed with relief.

                Vicxxa looked up at Batanga. “Hey, I used to be a single mom to two progeny,” she said. “If you ever need some time away, I’m happy to care for both our little ones.”

                “I really appreciate it,” Batanga replied. “I never thought after working as a Whispers agent for so long, mothering would stack as my greatest challenge yet.”

                “It’s a struggle that’s more than worth it. If you’ve managed this first month, you’ll do just fine. The first two years are the hardest.”

                “So I’ve heard, but I’ve got a wonderful husband and a wonderful krewe to help along the way. And hey, don’t be afraid to ask me to babysit, too. Just because you have experience doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a break now and then.”

                Vicxxa nodded in thanks. “I’ll take you up on that. Jinxx cleared my work schedule for two months, so for now my only job is keeping this little guy bathed, fed, and happy. That’ll give you more time to get used to one progeny before you start handling two. And you’re not the only krewe that’s more emotionally bonded than most. I know my krewemates will be happy to help out.”

                “We’re both lucky in that regard.”

               

**

 

                While the mothers talked, Darren took Frixx aside for their own conversation. He held out a hand, and Frixx shook it. “Congratulations,” he said. “Our krewe prepared for this; take all the time off you need while you get settled in.”

                “Thank you,” Frixx said. “A month at the most, I love our work on the krewe. I think I hear our ladies talking about trading off babysitting days; that’s a good idea for us too. If we can learn to handle two progeny at once, we can keep three of us free for a lot of time.”

                “You and Vicxxa will love taking care of your son together, but breaks are a must,” Darren replied with a chuckle. “Batanga and I set up a good system. Times when I watch her, times when she does, times when we’re both there to bond as a family.”

                “Do they wake up as often in the night as I hear about?”

                Darren nodded. “Oh yes, exactly why our krewe planned to give you time off.” He glanced at his wife, smiling at how well-behaved Jessa was. “Not everything about raising a progeny is fun.”

                Frixx followed Darren’s eyes, gazing at Vicxxa. “At least I’ve got the perfect woman to take this journey with.”

                “Speaking of which…” Darren nudged Frixx on the elbow, and they leaned in for a private moment. “Sounded like you were quite the mess rushing out of our lab, I don’t blame you with how unexpected this was. But did you forget about…”

                “Didn’t forget, but haven’t done it yet,” Frixx told him. “Before we leave.”

                Darren backed away. “My lips are sealed, then. Good luck.”

 

**

 

                A few hours of sleep, a few tests, and a few signatures on paperwork later, Vicxxa sat up in bed, almost ready to go home. Frixx wore shoes now, and their progeny rested in a different room, a nurse golem keeping a watchful eye on him.

                “How do you feel?” Frixx asked.

                “Much better after that nap,” Vicxxa said. “Still not perfect, of course. Giving birth sucks. But I’m so happy he’s here.”

                “Me too,” he replied.

                Frixx waited before he spoke again, making sure he prepared his words just right. He started planning this about two months ago, and still he felt a bead of sweat on his brow. He wished he was wearing his revenant’s blindfold, to let the cloth absorb it. He turned away from Vicxxa briefly to wipe it away with his shirt. _Now or never,_ he thought to himself.

                “Alright, hormones are calm, and you’re rested. I can surprise you again.”

                Vicxxa sat up straighter. “What, forget something else? Did Darren and Batanga swap our progeny?”

                “Nothing like that,” he said. “I remember when you first told me you got pregnant. We hadn’t been dating for long, and I told you that no matter what happened to our relationship, I’d help you raise this progeny.”

                “This is either really good or really bad…” Vicxxa raised her brow.

                “Damn, even if I were that much of an ass, you think I’d have the guts to break up with a fighter like you on the day you gave birth?” Vicxxa shrugged with a coy grin, while Frixx laughed and shook his head. “Look at us now. Months later, and we still like each other just as much as the day we met. More, even. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love you.”

                Vicxxa returned the favor. “I love you, too.” Her chest pounded. Such a speech, at a time like this, probably meant something.

                “Which is why I don’t just want to help you raise this progeny.” Frixx took Vicxxa’s hand and held it tight. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Vicxxa, will you marry me?”

                Despite her subconscious guessing at the end game, the question left Vicxxa speechless. From a random guy who visited her krewe lab, winding up in bed with her minutes after they met, to a strong, loving man, a father who wouldn’t back down from his responsibilities like her previous lover did. She remembered the day he spoke of, and agreed with every word he said back then. Keep taking it easy in their relationship, see where things go, but raise this progeny, no matter what. With this offer, they could do so much more. There was only one answer to give.

                “Yes.”


	2. Chapter 2

                “Who’s a little bunny? You are! Who’s a little bunny? You are!”

                Vicxxa gently lifted Evann’s already long ears above his head each time she asked him the question, then shook them around and tickled them. Evann burst into laughter every single time, kicking his feet. Progeny developed their intelligence at a rapid rate, which continued developing into the often-unmatched genius of their race as a whole. Emotionally, however, progeny were still children, and they behaved like most other races in Tyria. And with only three months since Vicxxa gave birth, this simple little game proved wildly entertaining for Evann on a regular basis.

                Taking care of Evann brought Vicxxa more joy than anything else. Being a mother again just felt right. She’d learned to cope and move on from what she lost, but she found that gaining something after was the missing piece.

                With time, both krewes adjusted to progeny growing up in their labs. Darren delegated some of his krewe leader responsibilities to lower levels, easing his burden while giving other krewemates a chance to excel and earn new recognition. Krewe members underneath both Darren and Jinxx offered to help babysit, giving each couple time to relax. Jinxx added upgrades to the gate connecting their labs. With a complete rework of the power supply and architecture, she managed to cut the gate’s power consumption by 33%. A couple apprentices on her krewe gave her ideas for sound dampening, allowing the gate to stay on without bothering anyone. Combining these upgrades, the gate could stay open around the clock if each krewe wanted such. This allowed Frixx and Vicxxa to continue working on separate krewes, incredibly far apart, yet always stay within a minute of talking to each other.

                Darren originally planned to contract out a construction team, but Jinxx insisted on hiring Alixx. He wasn’t disappointed by the result, and shortly after Vicxxa gave birth, Frixx’s living quarters in the krewe lab tripled in size, to more permanently accommodate Frixx’s partner and progeny. Once complete, Alixx performed the exact same construction job in her own lab, letting the family bounce back and forth as they pleased.

                And of course, while new parents settled in, krewes adjusted, and life returned to normal, Frixx and Vicxxa planned a wedding.

                No one besides Darren knew that Frixx planned to propose after Vicxxa gave birth, though many others suspected the proposal soon. Frixx bounced the idea off Darren as the only married man he knew, and Darren loved the idea. Evann came into the world late in the year, so Frixx and Vicxxa decided to set their wedding for a couple months after Wintersday, to let them relax into their lives and enjoy the holiday season without worrying too much about the wedding.

                Frixx returned from work to find his fiancé and son enjoying their little game. He walked up behind Vicxxa, his steps silent as a sneaking thief, and started lifting her ears up at the same time she lifted Evann’s. Vicxxa playfully kicked at his shin, and he stepped back. She patted Evann on the tummy, then let him settle down, standing up to hug her lover. 

                “Work go well?”

                “Yes, happy to be done,” Frixx told her. He grabbed her ears one more time, shaking them around before letting them drop. “I see you’ve had a productive day.”

                “Absolutely, three rounds of who’s a bunny, diaper changing, feeding, gave him a bath…”

                “I was joking, I know a full day with Evann is just as hard as a full day at work,” he interrupted. Vicxxa smiled, and he kissed her cheek. “Well, baby’s calm, we’re both feeling energized right now, time to knock out some wedding plans?”

                “Sure thing,” Vicxxa said. “I’ll grab our notes.”

                Frixx leaned over Evann’s crib while Vicxxa retrieved a portable computing device. He waved to his son, who rolled over and almost gave a full wave back, still learning the motion. “I know we’re both the oldest on our krewes,” Frixx said. “But it still feels weird to be settling down.”

                “I agree, and I’m glad you mentioned that.” Vicxxa returned with the computing device, pulling up notes. “I totally forgot about this until Jinxx asked me about it, and I wanted to run it by you first. Jinxx wants to throw me a bachelorette party.”

                “Ah, one last crazy night before we’re together forever?”

                “Exactly,” Vicxxa said. “Drinks and dancing, classic party. Though probably some naked men doing the dancing, rather than us, which is why I wanted to ask.”

                Frixx pulled out a chair for Vicxxa at their dining room table and sat with her. “I think I can agree to that,” he said, feigning a thoughtful expression. “On one condition: I get a bachelor party, same thing, drinks and strippers. Except mine will probably be women.”

                Vicxxa raised her brow. “Probably?”

                “I know the perfect guy to plan a bachelor party for me, but he swings in any direction that gets him laid,” Frixx replied. “I’ll remind him that this is a bachelor party for mostly straight guys.”

                She connected the dots to who Frixx was talking about, and wouldn’t put it past his friend to hire male strippers if Frixx didn’t specify. “Only fair for both of us to get some drinks and strippers, you’ve got yourself a deal.” She gave Frixx a handshake. “Any gay friends that would prefer my bachelorette party?”

                “Ooh, Fennis! Invite him, he’ll love it,” Frixx said.

                “Done.”

                The couple discussed a good date to hold these parties. Frixx and Vicxxa knew their krewemates’ schedules fairly well, and after a couple minutes, found a night where both krewes were free. That allowed both parties to happen on the same night, avoiding any potential confusion on when they were.

                “Alright, one more party to send us off into married life,” Frixx said. “Is there anything else? Something you wanted to do, that we both should do, before settling down for good?”

                Vicxxa leaned back in her chair, rubbing her chin. A moment later, she bit her lip, her eyes suddenly avoiding eye contact with Frixx. “Uh… well…”

                Too intrigued to let this slide by, Frixx pushed the matter. “Come on, what is it?”

                Vicxxa thought back to a conversation that occurred on a few occasions, but she’d always shrugged off the matter. Now, facing the reality of settling down for good, her conviction started to waver. “There’s no denying that you’re incredibly good in bed, Frixx.”

                “I’m flattered.”

                She rolled her eyes, getting to the point. “And, well, girls talk, as I’m sure guys do too. I’ve bragged about your talents a few times with my krewe. One particular krewemate is pretty jealous.”

                “Oh? Who?”

                “Jinxx, my krewe leader,” she said. “Before meeting you, I was like most of Jinxx’s krewe: not much serious dating, casual sex among friends or attractive people I meet. Jinxx still lives that life, and she’s floated the idea of a threesome a couple times.”

                “I see.” Frixx knew Jinxx, and after such a long relationship with Vicxxa, knew her krewe’s antics well, on occasion walking in on sex by accident. Who would expect to find someone getting blown in the krewe kitchen at a popular time for lunch? Apparently Dexx offered Sybil an “appetizer” as he called it. “I don’t want to assume, but if you’re bringing this up, does a threesome with Jinxx interest you?”

                Vicxxa blushed, adjusting her hair. “For a long time, I thought nothing of it; I liked being in a serious relationship again. But there’s that other side to us. The way our relationship started, ripping each other’s clothes off after barely getting to know each other. I’ve slept with Jinxx before, and she’s great. I wouldn’t mind getting in one last round of fun before we become husband and wife.”

                Frixx remained silent for a moment. He feigned being lost in thought when coming up with his bachelor party proposal, but this debate truly gave him pause. His and Vicxxa’s relationship started out with wild, heated sex; there was no denying the similarities between their first few months together and the usual antics of Jinxx and her krewe. For Frixx, however, that lust came from a passion for the woman he was with, a desire to be with her, just her, as often as possible. The idea of bringing someone into the fold made him feel disloyal.

                Then again, Frixx considered the whole purpose of this discussion. Not to decide how to spend the rest of their lives together, married and loyal, but how to spend the near future, their last celebration of youth and freedom. Putting himself in that mindset, he imagined two beautiful women lusting for him at once, perhaps one on each of his ears, nibbling at them… Frixx shook his thoughts back to the present as his pants tightened a bit.

                “Alright,” Frixx said. “Tell Jinxx that she’s got the go-ahead on hosting your bachelorette party… and that your boyfriend is ok with her threesome idea. I’ll see if I can get a host for my bachelor party.”

                “Fantastic.”

 

**

 

                Calan took an unexpected visit from Frixx. The smell of fried meat and wild spices filled the air, emanating from his living quarters’ small kitchen. Two plates set on the table: one for him, and one for his girlfriend Fenna. She and Calan traded off nights cooking and cleaning, each of them taking on one task. Tonight, Fenna stirred meat and vegetables around in a pan, leaving Calan free until after dinner.

                Frixx declined Fenna’s offer to stay and eat, only needing to speak with Calan for a moment. They moved over to Calan’s couch, though the scent of food still tickled his nose, and Frixx started wishing he hadn’t made plans with his fiancé.

                “How’s the dad life treating you, Frixx?” Calan asked.

                “Good,” Frixx replied. “It’s the married life I want to talk to you about.”

                Frixx explained his recent discussion with Vicxxa, his desire to get someone to host his bachelor party, and wrapped up his story with specifying female strippers. Calan floated the idea of throwing just one guy into the mix, and Frixx told him how both he and Vicxxa guessed at the need for clarification.

                Calan relented his idea, but agreed to throw the bachelor party. “It’ll be a blast, trust me.” He shook Frixx’s hand, after which he walked his krewemate to the door.

                In their kitchen, Fenna wrapped up their dinner, adding a tangy sauce to the mix of food as she turned down the stove’s heat. “What was that about?”

                “Frixx asked me to throw his bachelor party, I told him I’d do it.”

                “That’s great!” Fenna carried the pan to the table, pouring out half of her dish onto each plate. “Some good fun before the big day.”

                “Since you’re bi, you’re welcome to come and check out the ladies I get,” Calan said. “Sounds like Vicxxa is having her bachelorette party on the same night, so you’ll have to choose.”

                Fenna set the pan back on the stove while Calan took a seat. They shared a quick kiss before digging into the meal. While made up of mostly leftovers, the improvised dish packed a lot of flavor. A semi-random assortment of meat and vegetables left from other meals, stir-fried and spiced.

                “I’ll think on it and let you know,” she said. “Been a while since you’ve gone to a party like this, hasn’t it?”

                “For sure, ever since I started dating you,” Calan replied.

                Fenna sipped on her water. “You could still go to strip clubs and things like that. I wouldn’t mind.”

                Calan shook his head. “I appreciate it, but I’m alright. Hosting this party for a friend is one thing, but I’d feel weird if I just went to see strippers now, with no specific reason.”

                “That’s sweet,” she said. Fenna twirled her fork around, staring at the piece of tomato stuck to it. Thinking about a party like that, men or women getting naked in front of her, showing off their stuff… a shiver ran down her spine. One she hadn’t felt in a long time. She’d kept her relationship going with Calan for quite a while now, and before that, spent a long time not even looking. Not much time to do so with her work in the Vigil, then not much interest when she first joined Darren’s krewe. Something about Frixx and Vicxxa’s situation got her thinking back on a time long ago, before Calan, before this krewe, before Vigil. “I just… I don’t know. I love our relationship too, but we’re not worried about marriage yet because of how young we are. I kind of feel like them now, needing to get in some fun.”

                “If it’s bothering you, we can talk it out, or I’ll help in whatever way I can,” Calan said. “But to be honest, I don’t feel the same way. I know that I’m the one who used to have random sex all the time, but you showed me I was missing something. I love the connection we have, it makes all the other stuff so much better.”

                Fenna’s own feelings surprised her more than Calan’s. One wedding of a friend suddenly flipped her to Calan’s old side? “I’m not sure what it is I’m looking for,” she told him. “I’m with _you_ , I’m not looking for an open relationship. If I do something, it’ll be with you. But thinking about Frixx and Vicxxa’s last hurrah… makes me think we’re missing something.”

                At that, Calan set down his fork. Fenna kept eating, a moment passing before she noticed Calan’s pensive look. “What?” she said.

                “If you want to get a little wild, but you want it to still be us, our relationship, I’ve got an idea,” he replied. “Before we started going steady, I, uh, used to be part of an orgy club.”


	3. Chapter 3

                Some days it still baffled Jinxx that she managed to secure a section of her lab in the mists itself, hidden from her own world and even mist warriors. She worked just outside her mist lab today, wearing a loose tank-top and shorts underneath whatever substitute for a sun warmed this gap between worlds. She owned more traditional asuran robes, even sets with lighter fabric designed for the hottest months in the already year-round heat of the Maguuma jungle. In her mist lab, however, no one outside her krewe would see her, and she relaxed the dress code here for that very reason. Some krewemates even opted to wear no clothing on occasion, a thought Jinxx considered today. The mists seemed to follow no calendar, no structured weather. Different pieces of the mists kept the same weather patterns, as if echoes of reality left a permanent mark. The mists still held many mysteries, even as revenants started appearing and adding to the story.

                Jinxx adjusted the air intake rate on her atmospheric collectizer, which collected data from the top of a twelve-foot pole, then pulled up a selection of readings. “We can create wondrous technology, but the guy can’t come up with a more creative name for a collector-slash-analyzer,” she said to herself, smirking as she made another adjustment based on her readings. Her new experiment aimed at finding answers to some of these questions about the mists. If not just a strange, magical, or unexplainable occurrence, what dictated the weather?

                She continued to monitor everything as Vicxxa appeared outside. She made some final tweaks to her experiment before climbing down from the ladder propping her up. “Time away from your job _and_ Evann? What a hot deal.”

                Vicxxa hugged her krewe leader, admiring Jinxx’s work. “Darren is watching both progeny and the apprentice we decided to promote is running my security work. He deserved the promotion; he’s got a solid eye for security and the mind of a leader, better for him to help me manage things versus just being a part of it.”

                “Good to hear,” Jinxx replied. She collapsed her ladder and lifted it off the ground, carefully balancing its top-heavy weight against her body. Vicxxa walked to the other side and helped her carry it to the next collectizer. “Thanks, way easier with two carrying this. What brings you out to the mists?”

                “I’ve got good news and great news for you,” Vicxxa said. “You’ll expect the good news, but I’ll surprise you with the great news.”

                “Ooh, I’m intrigued.”

                “Good news: you’re all set to throw me a bachelorette party.” Jinxx reached a hand down as she climbed her ladder, and Vicxxa slapped it in celebration. “Strippers, drinks, everything.” She told Jinxx the date, which would work out perfectly.

                “Trust me, it’ll be everything. You’re right so far; I didn’t expect Frixx to say no to that, so what’s the great news?”

                Vicxxa held the bottom of the ladder to brace it. “Talking about this party got Frixx and I down a tangent of discussing our last bit of time before settling down. We wondered whether we should do anything else outside of these parties. I brought up the idea…” Vicxxa intentionally trailed off to tease Jinxx’s anticipation. “Of a threesome.”

                The collectizer in front of Jinxx blared out an error signal as her fingers slipped on a dial. She scrambled to turn it back, and the device settled. “A threesome, huh?” she replied, shifting from foot to foot. “What did he say?”

                “He said he’s interested.”

                “Did you… mention anyone in particular? Say, I don’t know, a white asura with blue hair?”

                “Congratulations, Jinxx. You nagged me just enough to keep a threesome on my mind, but not enough to make me mad and refuse.”

                “Yes!” Jinxx hopped down from her ladder, pulling Vicxxa into another quick hug. She grew excited just from the thought, taking pride in her self-control. From the moment she started her krewe up until Vicxxa met Frixx, she’d been surrounded by people always interested in some casual sex. It was an adjustment to not only give up fun with Vicxxa but keep her distance from Frixx. She knew this would likely be a one-time occurrence and planned to relish it.  “I totally respect you getting into a serious, committed relationship, but I’ve wanted to see Frixx topless for _months._ ”

                “You’ll see more than that.” Vicxxa winked. “His chest is one of his best features, you’re on the right track with topless. But his ass… by the Alchemy his ass…”

                “And the way you talk about his talent in bed! Vicxxa, you’re amazing.” Adjusting that collectizer wrapped up her work, so she collapsed the ladder again and laid it on the grass. “I was already going to make your bachelorette party the best. I’ll find a way to make it even better.”

 

**

 

                “An… orgy club?”

                Before Vicxxa left the following day to converse with Jinxx about a threesome, Fenna engaged in an equally surprising conversation with her boyfriend. She knew he slept around before getting with her, but she’d heard of people sleeping around. This she’d never heard of.

                “Yeah, it’s a club where a bunch of asura in Rata Sum meet in a big room and have sex for an hour or two,” Calan replied.

                “Gee, I thought it was a weird name for a club sandwich.” Fenna furrowed her brow, ignoring her food for a moment to rub her temples. “I get what you meant, but like… an actual club for orgies. How does that even work?”

                “A lot smoother than you’d think for something called an orgy club,” Calan said. “It all started about seven years ago or so. Original creator isn’t even there anymore. It’s invitation only, no public ads, and we all follow a set of rules.”

                “Hold on- seven years? Even with different members taking up the… mantle, that’s crazy.”

                “I know, I know, but hear me out.” Calan took a bite of bell pepper, barely chewing before swallowing the food down to continue talking. “First rule: everyone in the club is bisexual, pansexual, or any sort of sexual preference that roughly translates to willing to have sex with anyone in the room. Second, always be polite and consensual. We require the sexuality part so that we can always mix around partners in new ways, but gotta respect boundaries. Third and final rule, stay clean, or clear up any sexually transmitted stuff before you come back. We used to all show up with doctor’s notes, but then an actual doctor joined the club. If she’s still there, she just gives everyone a scan when we walk in.”

                As Calan explained this paradox of an outlandish yet plausible concept, Fenna wondered at how such a club came to be in Rata Sum. To be fair, every race in Tyria had sex, a natural calling that most creatures hear once they transition to adulthood. Nothing was wrong with sex, yet Rata Sum was the peak of asuran achievement. A shining representation of their people, their wondrous capabilities despite their size. A wealth of scholarly activity, everyone striving for excellence, searching for the latest discovery. Yet within its walls, Calan and a bunch of asura got together to bang.

                “I’m getting the picture here,” Fenna said. “You’re presenting this as an idea for something wild to do?”

                “Think about it. We’re probably not gonna have sex with each other while there, but we’re still _with_ each other,” Calan said. “If it’s not your thing, don’t worry about it. Don’t take my excitement as needing to go back. I don’t want an open relationship either, and I’m happy with what we have. But this just might be a compromise between you wanting to stay loyal yet feeling like you want to do something crazy.”

                “…Screw it, worth a shot.”


	4. Chapter 4

                “You’re joking.”

                Crados sat with his arms folded, still sizably taller than Darren and Batanga who stood in front of him. The black charr refused to accept that the two asura before him even considered their current idea.

                “Crados, it’s just an evening, not even half a day,” Darren pleaded. He wouldn’t force his charr krewemate to volunteer for this, but he was the easiest choice. “The party will only take a few hours, then we’re right back here. We have helpful notes written out for you.”

                The night of both Frixx and Vicxxa’s parties loomed near. Everyone on both Darren and Jinxx’s krewe wanted to come out, drink, and celebrate. All except one charr. The charr Darren and Batanga now hoped to convince to babysit their progeny.

                “Why me?”

                “We went over this,” Batanga replied. “You said that you’re not much for parties, and you’re not attracted to any race besides charr, so the strippers don’t interest you either.”

                “And I’m the only one not going?” Physical attraction across races was somewhat uncommon in Tyria, a similar rarity to that of lgbt people. Humans and norn were the only exception, given their similar appearances. For Crados, if a woman wasn’t six feet tall and covered in fur, she did nothing for him. “Fennis, Draef, Serafen?”

                “Fennis slept with Calan once, his absence shouldn’t surprise you,” Darren said. “Draef isn’t attracted to asura but offered to help carry anyone home who gets a little too tipsy.” He hesitated at his final explanation. “Serafen, well… since sylvari enter the world adults, she’s only a few years old. When Batanga asked her if she wanted to come to a strip club, Serafen asked what a strip club was. She’s intrigued now; I seriously wonder how that’s going to go.”

                Batanga rested a hand on Crados’s arm and squeezed for a moment. She hoped a soft touch and her pleading eyes would help persuade. “You’ll have food for her, diapers, some of her toys, and notes from us on how to handle anything that happens. She loves attention but is often ok for a while alone. All you have to do is watch and make sure she doesn’t injure herself.”

                “Yeah, speaking of injuries…” Crados moved one of his claws in front of Batanga’s face. With fingers all next to each other, he completely covered her head from view. “I could literally hold her in one palm. I don’t know if I’m the safest route.”

                “We trust you, Crados,” Darren said. “You could argue she’s safer with you than with us. A few hours, that’s all we need. Then we’ll get back and take her to bed.”

                Crados grumbled. On top of the size difference between him and any asura, charr normally didn’t even raise their own children. Darren traveled nearly all of Tyria during his time as Pact Commander and his rise to that spot, so he had to already know that. Despite these things, he still trusted Crados with his progeny, even if only for a few hours. He still hated the idea, he still loathed the upcoming time, but he had to admit how honored he felt to receive that level of trust. If he took care of things, he’d be thanked. If he screwed up, he’d never babysit again. A win on both sides.

                “Fine,” he told them, shrugging his shoulders.

                Batanga stepped back and put an arm around Darren. “You won’t regret it!” she said. “Jessa can be tiring but she’s so much fun.”

                “Go, before I regret it,” Crados replied. He mulled over his decision all the way up until Jessa came under his care.

 

**

 

                Many asura found recreational activities such as parties, music, and drinking to be below their stature; far too much important research laid ahead of them, and their intelligence should be used only in higher pursuits. Just as many asura, however, saw recreation in another light. With such a vast collection of intelligent creatures and fascinating inventions, asura could enjoy personal lives to a greater degree than others, in newfound ways. Both examples hinted at thinking themselves above other races of Tyria, but much like how humans and charr slowly ebbed away at their hostilities, asura were learning to see the value and beauty of peoples besides their own.

                For Frixx and Vicxxa’s parties, the latter mindset of asura came to the spotlight. Rata Sum was an enormous city, with plenty of room for laboratories in one corner and other pleasures down the next, hidden away. Down in the depths of Rata Sum, Darren and Jinxx’s krewes made their way to two different party locations, one for the bachelor and one for the bachelorette.

                Knowing the former Pact Commander helped Calan plan an all-out bachelor party for Frixx. Darren acquired a good amount of wealth when he traveled the world, and his success with the Krewe of the Pact let that money sit in savings while krewe income kept everything else smooth. Darren offered a dip into his gold pouch to help fund the party.

                Calan picked out one of the high-end strip clubs in Rata Sum. Inside, the thrum of music blared over everyone’s conversation. Asura sometimes made use of more traditional string and wind instruments, but their technological advances provided a vast magnitude of possibilities. Within the club, no one played any physical instruments. A single asura crafted a variety of heavy bass and electronic tones using a computer pad and a few arcane crystals.

                Frixx and party-goers walked straight past the main lounge of the club, where adventurers, common workers, and scholars alike all shouted and hollered as a female asura twirled around a pole on stage, her top already off and her panties leaving little to the imagination. Most of the club hung in darkness, while a miniature golem near the ceiling managed the stage lights.

                For the bachelor party, Calan reserved the best private room in the house. Expensive, but big enough for thirty guests, several rounds of drinks included in the price, and their own private stage with their own dancers. No waiting in line for the bar, and no vying for a dancer’s attention. A room all to themselves.

                To start out, Calan ordered a special assortment of drinks, mixes less commonly bought to introduce everyone to different flavors. More than an hour was spent talking amongst friends, passing stories back and forth. Darren surprised the most with his tales. Though he never did anything as crazy as the likes of Jinxx’s krewe members, a few girlfriends came and went before he found Batanga, and some of the details left everyone in fits of laughter.

                At the moment, the party felt like a relaxing get-together, exactly the way Calan wanted everyone to feel before turning up the heat. Right on cue, the first dancer snuck up on the whole group without effort, everyone else distracted by the drinks, conversation, and music. A dusty grey asura with jet black hair and velvet eyes tickled at Frixx’s ears. Startled, Frixx turned around, and immediately she pressed her waist up against his.

                “Evening,” the dancer said. She glided her fingers down Frixx’s chest, then backed away from him. “I hear you’re the man of the hour. Why don’t you come have a seat, and we’ll spend some time together?”

                The whole charade caught everyone off guard, and Frixx’s friends and krewemates quickly cheered for him to go along with it. Frixx turned his head to Calan, who only smiled and raised his brow.

                “Alright,” Frixx replied, returning his attention to the gorgeous woman in front of him. “Where to?”

                “You get the seat right in front of center stage, and I get your lap,” she said. “I’ll be your personal dancer for tonight, and some of my friends will put on a great show for you and everyone else.”

                On cue, three more asuran women stepped out, these three on stage. Dexx recognized on of them. Saturated white skin with short, blonde hair. A few adorable freckles on her nose. This was Glinkka, a master on a pole both on and off stage, as Dexx once confirmed in a solo VIP room. The look she gave Dexx when they met eyes gave him the impression he’d stick around for a while after the rest of the party left. For now, the show was all for Frixx.

 

**

 

                “Charr don’t even raise their own young,” Crados said to himself. “Should have said it out loud. Might have gotten me out of this.”

                Crados sat on the floor, Jessa crawling around in front of him in a diaper and green sweater. No one else in the lab except him and Darren’s progeny, the rest out watching asura dance and get naked. He sulked as he checked the clock. 20 minutes since he started watching her. A long night.

                Jessa made a few unintelligible babbles as she approached Crados’s leg, stopping in front of it. She reached out and scratched at his fur, giggling while Crados gritted his teeth. He could hear the seconds tick by in his head.

                “Alright, cub,” Crados said, leaning forward. “Let’s have a look at you.” With one finger, he reached underneath Jessa’s belly and scooped her off the ground, using his other claw to roll her into his palm. Jessa seemed undisturbed, and with the size difference, had plenty of room to sit down above his wrist. While Jessa’s parents cradled her in both arms, Crados could simply pinch her up from the ground.

                Jessa looked up at Crados’s face, sitting still. “You scared?” Crados asked as if she understood. He swayed his claw around a little, and Jessa only wobbled a bit, using her hands to stabilize herself. “You should stop scratching at me. I could scratch back a lot harder.”

                He didn’t want to harm her or make her cry, only scare her a bit and send her away to play with her golem plush instead of him. He raised his free claw and bared it at her as if about to swipe, showing off his teeth as he let out a growl.

                In the split second after his action, Crados regretted his choice. If he made Jessa cry and fear him permanently, Darren and Batanga would never forgive him. He wanted out of babysitting, not to emotionally scar a progeny.

                Yet, before he finished processing his self-criticism, Jessa raised both her hands, curled her fingers like claws, and closed her eyes. “Rar!” Her tiny vocal chords made a higher-pitched version of Crados’s own growl. Then she dropped her hands and smiled up at him like nothing happened.

                Crados was speechless. He dropped his claw, staring at Jessa with wide eyes. For the first time since Darren asked him to babysit, Crados smiled.

                “I misjudged you,” he said, moving his hand up in a swift arc to make Jessa bounce on his palm. She giggled and rolled over onto her stomach, trying to grab hold of his wrist. “You’ve got claws of your own. Maybe this won’t be so bad.”

 

**

 

                Rather than a private room, Vicxxa’s bachelorette party took place in the general area of an upscale male strip club in Rata Sum. At this club, front row seats were for VIP guests on a reservation basis, while the rest of the booths and tables were open seating. Vicxxa, krewemates, and friends took up all the center stage, front row seating, giving them a fantastic view of all the dancers that came out.

                A crowd of women sprinkled with the occasional man cheered and hollered for the pair of identical twins on stage, who just tore off their shirts to show off their impeccable chest and abs. Tight thongs left little to the imagination of what lay beneath, a sizeable bulge on each of them just waiting to come alive.

                While this party was for Vicxxa, Serafen was the star of the night. A typically reserved sylvari, Serafen let loose after the bartender noticed her and offered up a drink he custom-designed for the plant race. As Darren and Batanga discovered leading up to tonight, she’d never heard of a strip club in her few years since she awakened from the dream. Asura didn’t do much for her sexually, but she loved the atmosphere and heat of it all, cheering just as loud as everyone else. A few more custom drinks and she started looking at the twins like she wanted to pounce on them.

                “Alright, ladies, we’ve got an announcement to make,” an emcee called out over the speaker system. “And gentlemen, I see a few of you out there.” Fennis and a few male asura all waved a hand. “These twins are fantastic, but it’s time for our main event, and it’s going to start off a little special. Someone in the audience is having their bachelorette party!”

                Vicxxa turned to stare at Jinxx, who prepared with a sinister-looking grin before their eyes even met. “Special?” she inquired, and Jinxx moved a thumb and finger across her lips like a zipper. Vicxxa kept her head down while the entire audience built up anticipation, wondering who to keep an eye on.

                “We’ve got a crowd favorite in the house tonight; he tours around all of Tyria showing off what he’s got swinging underneath his robes. Before he started his dancing career, you might have seen him around the city streets, working as a Peacemaker.”

                The audience instantly cheered louder, a raucous volume of excitement echoing off the walls. Vicxxa looked at Jinxx again in disbelief. She knew who was about to show, and to see this man perform, you either pulled a lot of strings or got very lucky. By Jinxx’s expression, Vicxxa assumed she managed the former.

                “Colloquially known as ‘Rock Hard’, everyone give it up for Rokk!”

                Stage lights focused in on an asura taking the stage, while the twins moved off to poles in the background. Into the spotlight came an asura with dark caramel skin, a few lines of lighter shade highlighting his features. The physique of a Peacemaker, used to walking and fighting in heavy armor, already shown off as he entered in nothing but underwear. Dark brown hair cut short, bangs spiked, and vibrant yellow eyes. Rokk the Peacemaker.

                “You’re welcome,” Jinxx said into Vicxxa’s ear, leaning in close to get her voice through above the increasingly hyped crowd.

                “Excelsior, everybody,” Rokk said, winking to the crowd. A mesmer boosted the sound of his voice from behind the scenes, preventing the need of a microphone. “So happy to come back to Rata Sum and put on a show for you all.”

                More cheers, particularly from Serafen, who flustered at the sight of Rokk. She spoke into Fenna’s ear. “I didn’t see him in _the_ dream, but I’ll see him in dreams tonight!” Fenna laughed and pushed her away, advising against ordering any more alcohol.

                “Anyone who’s seen me before knows I like to cut to the chase,” Rokk continued. “Let others warm you all up, and for my dance, I cut right to what I _know_ you’d all love to see.”

                With little warning, Rokk placed his thumbs on his hips, and slipped his underwear down, bending over with some flare. The crowd went ballistic as his gorgeous cock came into view, the length falling perfectly to match up with the bottom of his balls.

                “Thank you, thank you.” Rokk smiled, performing a few twirls to give everyone to the sides a head-on view, leaving his tight ass behind for those who lost sight of his genitals. “I’m just about ready to dance for you all, but…” He reached down and cupped his sack, pushing his cock and balls forward. “I need to get this guy here warmed up.”

                Vicxxa already signed this off as the best bachelorette party, without knowing what came next. Suddenly, she found her eyes locked with Rokk’s. For a moment she shrugged it off as him looking in her general direction, but when his gaze held, she sat up straighter. He was looking right at her.

                Rokk pointed. “Vicxxa, right?”

                She nodded before even realizing her muscles responded to the question.

                “We’ve got a special lady in the house tonight,” Rokk announced. “This beautiful asura here is about to get married and came here for a fun sendoff. We can give her that, right?”

                A few stage lights turned on Vicxxa, and now the crowd cheered for her. With a nudge from Jinxx, Vicxxa blushed and stood up, giving a wave.

                “Vicxxa, I’d like to personally congratulate you on this next chapter of your life. Love is the best part of Tyria, and while some of us find love through friendship or places like this, others find one person to stick it out with. Before you head into married life, I wanted to do something for you.”

                Rokk walked to the edge of the stage, now a mere few feet away from where Vicxxa stood. “Dance and strip clubs have a no-touch policy for good reason: to protect the wonderful men and women up on stage. But I think the folks here can turn a blind eye for a moment if you’d like to help warm me up for the show?”

                Gasps and excited muttering briefly replaced the echoes of cheering in the room, but soon returned as a few more stage lights focused on Vicxxa again. She hesitated, in disbelief that this was happening at all. Yet there Rokk stood, presenting his junk right in front of her, waiting.

                “Come on, Vicxxa, come give it a touch. It’s a rare opportunity to put your hands on something this nice. I won’t tell your fiancé if you don’t.”

                Unintelligible cheers slowly faded out, as Jinxx and krewemates managed to start a chant. In time with claps, the whole audience started chanting Vicxxa’s name, over and over, urging her on.

                After that, Vicxxa stepped forward. With the stage, Rokk’s waist was just above head height. She took a deep breath, reached out, and gave his balls a squeeze.

                “Now it’s a party,” Rokk said, and Vicxxa relaxed, surprisingly calm having never done something this sexual in such a public setting. Sex _with_ a lot of people didn’t equate to sex _in front of_ a lot of people. She toyed with his balls some more, lifting one, then the other, bringing up her other hand behind his cock before curling her fingers around it, giving it a downward tug.

                “Wow.” Rokk turned his attention to the crowd as Vicxxa worked her way into a rhythmic motion. “I gotta tell everyone, whoever this lady is marrying is one lucky man. She knows how to work the hands.”

                Oblivious to the cacophony of cheers and laughter around her, Vicxxa enveloped herself in working her magic on Rokk’s dick. Her downward tugs morphed into straight back and forth as his length began hardening and growing against her touch. She looked up at Rokk, squinting from the bright stage lights, but managed to lock eyes with him as he grinned down and shot her a wink.

                Behind his back, Rokk made a quick hand gesture. “Hey there, Vicxxa.”

                Vicxxa jumped at the sound of Rokk’s voice right next to her ear, as if he stood across from her in a quiet room. “Don’t worry, I just gave our mesmer a signal to shift her magic,” he explained. “I’m barely moving my mouth, so the crowd doesn’t notice me talking. We can talk to each other without the rest hearing. Enjoying this?”

                Vicxxa kept up the charade, moving her lips just enough to respond. “Absolutely, I can’t thank you enough.” His cock towered just above her face, almost fully erect as she stroked along it. “I never thought I’d see one of your shows, let alone get a chance to touch you like this. Quite a cock.”

                “I’m flattered,” Rokk replied. “And hey, I may exaggerate how much I like a crowd sometimes for the sake of a show, but you’re the only one that can hear me now. I’m honest when I say you’ve got some amazing hands, I’ve never had a handjob like this.”

                She chuckled. “You’ve flattered me in return. If I weren’t getting married, I might try to show you what else I’m good at.”

                “Fun little fact…” Rokk took some time to scan the crowd again, keeping them engaged and excited while he and Vicxxa enjoyed their private moment. “And very few know this, I trust you to keep a secret: I’m already married. My wife hides in the crowd at every show. She wanted to travel Tyria; I told her if she was alright with my junk out all the time, we’d make a perfect traveling pair.”

                Were it not for the spotlights, Vicxxa would have let go of Rokk’s cock after that. Instead, she paused her strokes, giving him a squeeze to keep the show going. “There won’t be an angry asura coming to talk to me after the show about this, will there?”

                “No no, don’t worry. She knows I’m committed to her. Just like I know you’re committed to your future husband, despite how well you’re getting me off.”

                Of all people to marry over a carefree sex life, Vicxxa never expected Rokk, or many strippers in general. Then again, she once lived a carefree sex life and made the shift. People could change, and people could have more than one dimension to them. “Looks like you’re good and hard,” she said.

                Rokk winked again, and with a swift hand motion, the mesmer returned his voice amplification to normal. “Alright, I’m fired up and ready to go. Let’s give it up for Vicxxa for getting me hot!” The crowd roared and clapped, while Vicxxa waved and reluctantly let go of Rokk’s package. “I think I can keep this guy up the whole show just by looking at her. It’s time to dance!” The music revved up in volume, and the main event began.

 

**

 

                In Rata Sum, some members of Frixx and Vicxxa’s parties stayed out to keep the celebration going. Others, such as Darren and Batanga, called it a night after a few hours. They wanted to get home for a good night’s sleep and keep Crados from having to babysit too long.

                 “I hope he’s alright,” Batanga said. She helped Darren take off his outer robes as they stepped out of the portal connecting their Shiverpeaks lab and Jinxx’s. Darren returned the favor, folding both robes over his arm.

                “If he hated it, we’ll make sure to never ask him again,” Darren replied. “And I’ll think of something to make it up to him.”

                They moved through the halls with soft steps, this hour usually past Jessa’s bed time. When they peeked around the corner of Jessa’s play room, they found her asleep, but not in her crib.

                Jessa slept soundly atop Crados, face and hands half buried in his fur. Crados lied flat on his back, also out cold. One claw held Jessa in place on top of him, and a smile on his face gave away his feelings about his current position.

                Batanga wrapped her arms around Darren from behind him. “Look at our daughter,” she whispered, a wide, warm grin overtaking her face. “So beautiful, she managed to calm down a charr.”

                Darren put his hand over his wife’s, squeezing her fingers. “No need to worry anymore. Should we wake them?”

                “No, let her sleep like that,” she replied. “I’ll get a sound monitor in here, so I can come help if she wakes up. You go set an alarm for tomorrow so that if she sleeps through the night, we’re here before Crados opens his eyes. That will be hilarious.”

                “Let’s not go too heavy on an ‘I told you so’ speech.” Darren pulled up Batanga’s hand to kiss it, then slipped from her embrace. “Because I think we’ve got ourselves another krewemate that will actively volunteer to babysit.”


	5. Chapter 5

                Calan and Fenna held hands as they walked through Rata Sum, descending lower and lower, until only artificial lighting gave them a sense of daytime, the sun above blocked by layers of the immense floating city. A week passed since each party for the engaged couple took place. Both Fenna and Calan scheduled a full day off for their own event to celebrate youth. They walked in silence, partly to take in and enjoy the scenery around them. After spending most of their young lives in Rata Sum, both journeyed out to explore Tyria and join one of the three orders that made up the Pact, eventually finding Darren. Seeing asura bustle about in their robes, excitedly sharing new developments and discoveries, running for their soon-to-start college classes, and walking alongside towering golems brought back fond memories for each of them. This city would always hold a special place in their hearts.

                The other reason they walked in silence came from a struggle to think of a normal conversation topic while on their way to an orgy club.

                They entered a residential area in one of Rata Sum’s lower levels. With their destination near, Calan explained a hand signal to Fenna, one used exclusively by club members, a way to help maintain the system of invite by word of mouth only. He shared a story he heard from before his time in the club, where several asura reported this suspicious-looking motion, thinking it to be some sort of criminal or gang gathering. After an incredibly awkward bust, Peacemakers entered a log in their permanent record to ignore any concerns issued from this specific location. While the activity shocked them, it was completely legal. Several Peacemakers then showed up the following session.

                A woman with yellow eyes and short hair waited outside the home Calan searched for, and he nudged to Fenna to make the hand signal. Upon seeing each of them perform, the woman waved them over, and smiled as a familiar face came into her view.

                “Calan! It’s been over a year since you’ve come around.” She held her arms out, and Calan stepped forward to give her a hug. “Been busy?”

                Calan shook his head. “Actually, I ended up having a change of heart. I started a committed relationship.”

                “Of all the people to give this up, I’d never expect you,” she replied. “I guess I’m sorry to see you here, then. We’ll give you such a good time that you’ll forget all about her.”

                “Uh, not necessary,” Calan stammered, blood rushing to his cheeks. “Let me introduce Fenna. She’s the one… and we’re still together.”

                The woman blinked, and shook her head furiously, holding out a hand to shake Fenna’s. “By the Alchemy, I messed up there. Let me instead be sorry that I didn’t ask who you were first. It’s lovely to meet you, Fenna.”

                “Likewise, and don’t worry about it,” Fenna said. “I’d assume the same thing in your place. We’ve got some friends getting married, and I told Calan I was worried about us settling down a little too early. He told me about this, and… well, I guess my curiosity got the better of me.”

                “I’m somewhat sure this is a first for our club,” she replied. “Though our history is shaky, given how people come and go. I don’t recall ever having a couple join in. This should be great!”

                “I look forward to it,” Fenna replied.

                “Oh, and I just realized I never told you my name. I’m Lynn, and I serve as our group’s current doctor.” She pulled out a small card that showed her degree and residency at Rata Sum’s main hospital. “I’ve always loved a little naked fun, and decided I was getting a bit carried away with hiding sex at work. I’ve redirected my passion to here.”

                She picked up a bulky box attached to her belt, pressing some buttons on the top. “Speaking of my profession, I need a quick blood sample from each of you. Just a quick prick on the back of the hand, won’t hurt. Then a little magic scan of your privates, and we’re all set.”

                Calan and Fenna submitted to the test, letting Lynn pull out a few drops of blood for her device to analyze. With a bit of magic over technology, she used a spell to quicken the analyzing process, as well as to scan each of their genitals. Satisfied with the results, Lynn stepped aside from the door. “You’re both clear. I’ll join everyone inside once it’s about time to start.”

                “Nice to meet you,” Fenna said, nodding as Calan opened the door for her. Her nerves trembled in her body as she stepped inside.

                A short hallway greeted them as they entered. Fenna heard muffled voices coming from a room down the hall, and several doors lined the way there. Another female asura, this one with short ears and a long ponytail, waved as they came in.

                “Welcome to the orgy club,” she said. “I’m still fairly new, don’t know everyone yet. Are either of you returning members?”

                “I am, she’s not,” Calan replied. “Can you give me a red mark and take her through the ropes?”

                “Absolutely.” The woman pulled out a bundle of markers from her pocket. These markers looked strange to Fenna, and she discovered why when she got a closer look. They were designed with natural chemicals, used to draw on flesh. She watched as Calan held out his forearm, and the woman colored in a red circle just above his wrist.

                “Miss, these markers help differentiate a few things to avoid needing to ask certain common questions during our fun.” She bundled up all the markers in her hand as she explained her reasoning to Fenna. “First, do you use any form of birth control?”

                Fenna nodded. “Yes, Pexxi’s nanogolems.”

                “Oh, so expensive, but well worth the price from what I’ve heard. Hold out your forearm for me?” Fenna complied, and she colored in a green circle just above the wrist. “I’m saving up for some. Never need replacing, always get the job done. Anyways, this green mark indicates that guys don’t need condoms with you. We’re all clear of sexually transmitted diseases here, and you won’t get pregnant with Pexxi’s top-notch nanogolems inside you.”

                “True, that sounds fine to me,” Fenna said.

                “Second question: do you enjoy anything inside your ass? Or is anal a no-go for you?”

                Fenna considered the question. After her first time using a strap-on with Calan to cater to his other tastes while they remained in a relationship, she’d gotten curious about what it felt like for girls. Calan took her through a series of toys, slowly introducing her to the concept. She preferred other activities overall but found some enjoyment as she got used to it. She could only imagine how good it felt for guys who came to enjoy it, since their version of a g spot rested up there.

                “Sure, I’m ok with anal stuff.”

                The woman uncapped the red marker again, and now Fenna understood Calan’s mark. “Last color is blue. We only recruit people who are very loose when it comes to sex; shyness or being closed off would hurt the enjoyment of such a large group setting. However, we have one barrier that we allow for comfort called the question color. This means someone will ask you about an activity before going through with it. For example, if you take the blue mark, a guy would ask if you want to suck his dick. Without the blue mark, a guy might still ask, or he might just grab your head and shove his cock in.”

                Knowing this information, Fenna now considered how Calan _didn’t_ choose this mark. She thought about the exact scenario just presented to her, and how she’d react. On a normal day, she’d never go that crazy.

                _This isn’t a normal day,_ she thought to herself. _Time to just go all in with this._

“I won’t need the question color, thank you,” Fenna said.

                “Alright then, last bit of explanation, I promise,” the woman told her. “Last door on the right is the orgy room, we ask that you get completely naked before going in. That saves time, there’s no jumbled mess of clothes everywhere, and starting naked helps break the ice for new members. You can strip down and store your belongings in an open cubby through the second door on the left. There’s a large chest in there with a coin slot; we take any donations you have to offer for condoms, lube, cleaning supplies, etcetera. Lastly, if you didn’t cleanse yourself to be ready for anal beforehand, first door on your left is a bathroom with supplies stocked to do so. I’ll see you in there!”

                “Wow, that’s… incredible,” was all Fenna could think of saying. “This whole setup is quite thorough for something so… raunchy.”

                “Remember,” Calan chimed in. “This is a club set up by asura, and it’s gone on for seven years. Asura are organized, and we like to sort out inefficiencies in our inventions.”

                Fenna shrugged. “Fair enough.”


	6. Chapter 6

                After cleaning up a bit, removing her clothing, and dropping a handful of silver in the donation chest, Fenna held hands with Calan to keep her calm as she stepped into what she brought upon herself.

                After the initial shock, she felt calmer than she expected. For a few moments she felt self-conscious about her nudity, but suddenly surrounded by over a dozen other nude asura, of both genders and various skin colors and sizes, she let herself relax as just a member of the crowd. Looking around, most of the men and a few of the women took the red mark. About half the women had green marks on their wrist, and half the total crowd chose to take the blue mark.

                The group spread out within the room. There were three couches, a single bed, some tables, and a few bean bags all scattered about, with plenty of floor space in between. Everyone seemed to enjoy a casual conversation with their neighbors, waiting for the event to start. Some of the men already had erections going, likely in anticipation of what was to come. Everyone looked attractive, and though pensive, Fenna felt ready to give this a shot.

                Another few minutes passed after Calan and Fenna’s arrival before Dr. Lynn stepped in with the marker girl, both nude. “Alright everyone, front door is locked, entries closed.” She projected her voice to catch attention over the general murmur of conversation. “It’s time to get started!”

                A short round of cheers came from everyone inside, and Fenna felt her heart racing inside her chest.

                “Any first timers here today?” a male asura asked. Looking over at him, Fenna bit her lip looking at his chest. He was quite muscular, and looking further down, had quite the cock to match his build. For a moment, guilt overtook Fenna, until she realized she still held Calan’s hand. _I’m still in a relationship, but we both agreed to be here,_ she thought. _I can do this. A glimpse into what Calan’s past was like._

Fenna was the only one to raise her hand. “Hey there, gorgeous,” the same man said. “Name’s Plunn. Love your red hair. Why don’t you introduce yourself?”

                All eyes turned to Fenna, and now she questioned how in the world “picture everyone naked” came to be a method for calming nerves before speaking in front of a crowd. “Hello,” she started, giving a quick wave. “I’m Fenna, I’m an engineer on the Krewe of the Pact, working with the retired Pact Commander. I was invited by Calan, who’s actually my boyfriend. A friend of mine is getting married, and that made me want to try something new while still young. He brought up this, and at first I wasn’t sure, but… here I am.”

                Plunn held up his hands. “Hold on, hold on. That’s why I haven’t had the sweet, sweet sensation of pounding Calan’s ass in over a year? Calan got a girlfriend?”

                “Yep, hi again, everyone,” Calan said. “I guarantee you that I’m just as surprised, if not more so, than anyone who knows me here. It took quite the girl to get me to change, but Fenna is that girl.”

                Fenna smiled at Calan’s remark, wanting to kiss him then and there. Her thoughts of Calan’s sweetness were interrupted by another asura talking.

                “Never seen a couple in my few years here, but welcome nonetheless, Fenna. You mentioned age as a factor; don’t ever let how old you are determine what you do to enjoy life.” Looking at the woman who spoke up, she saw a few streaks of grey in her hair. “Few more years of this and it just won’t be possible for me to keep up in this club, but until then, I’m here to stay.”

                “I may have missed Calan’s ass, but I’ll never stop thinking about your pussy, Senn.” The muscular man got a laugh out of everyone in the room.

                “Alright, let’s get back on track.” Dr. Lynn moved to the center of the room. “It’s time to move on from talk and get to what we’re all here for, but I want to ask everyone a favor. A bit after we start, somebody get Calan and Fenna separated. You two can enjoy each other at home as much as you like, it’s time to branch out your taste.”

                “Well said.” Plunn clapped his hands together, and everyone except Fenna clapped in response. She clapped a half second late, and suddenly everyone was all over each other.

                Fenna saw Calan turn as a hand touched his shoulder. A dark green asura, with light markings over his red eyes and in several places over his body, leaned in from where he’d been sitting behind them. Calan smiled, and met him halfway with a kiss, their tongues quickly overlapping.

                _Come on, Fenna, don’t be the odd one out in an orgy._ Fenna shook herself out of watching everyone else get in on the fun and joined herself. She rose to her knees next to Calan and this other man, running her fingers through his rather wild hairstyle, a mohawk held up by baubles. She put aside thoughts of jealousy as she watched Calan make out with this man, remembering the whole purpose of this event. She decided to help Calan out with the first one to go for him.

                Moving behind the man, Fenna wrapped her arms around him, pressing her warm body against his while letting her fingers play with his nipples. She got a noticeable moan out of him and giggled as he reached around behind her to grab at her ass. Nerves melted away bit by bit as she saw everyone else in the room doing the exact same thing: letting everything flow naturally.

                “Fenna, meet Znuaz,” Calan said in a brief pause between wrestling tongues with this asura. He hinted at wanting to stand up, and once Znuaz and his girlfriend got the signal, the trio rose to their feet. Calan moved in a little closer, sandwiching Znuaz between him and Fenna. Their cocks, both quickly becoming erect, pressed against each other between their bellies.

                Fenna let her arms reach around both asura, giving Calan’s ass a teasing squeeze before moving back to Znuaz. She tugged on his long ears, scratching on the inside, while Znuaz moved on her ass with both hands this time, spreading her cheeks apart.

                “Hey Fenna, how about you come help me around the front?” Calan suggested.

                The last of Fenna’s worries about participating finally let go of her as she and Calan both dropped to their knees in front of Znuaz. Calan grabbed Znuaz’s ass as he ran his tongue up the asura’s shaft. Helping her boyfriend out, she ran one hand in smooth circles around Znuaz’s stomach, the other hand cupping and gently tugging at his balls.

                “Oh… fuck…” Znuaz moaned as Calan enveloped his cock inside his mouth. Calan kept his motions slow, knowing that plenty more orgy awaited the group here. He knew the amount of twitching from Znuaz’s cock didn’t come from his skill alone. As Fenna moved in to start sucking on Znuaz’s balls, their teamwork overloaded him with pleasure.

                Fenna almost jumped off the floor when a shock of sensation coursed through her. Someone placed a hand in between her legs and was rubbing their fingers against her outer folds. Straining her eyes to look around, she saw a female asura behind her, a devilish grin on her face. Recalling that she denied the question color, Fenna relaxed, shooting her a wink. The asura seemed skilled with her hands, sending little sparks of pleasure through her, increasing her drive to join in on all the fun.

                When Calan released Znuaz’s cock from his mouth, Fenna traded places with him, swallowing the shaft while Calan took to the balls. “You two make a great tag team,” Znuaz said, closing his eyes as he rolled his head back.

                “Alright Fenna, time to get what you’ve been missing.” The woman gave little warning from behind Fenna as she felt herself grabbed by the shoulders and gently pulled away from Znuaz. “Plunn, come get that Calan you’ve wanted so badly.”

                As she let herself get pulled off, she felt her heart beating against her ribcage. Now came the true test of if she could handle this sort of fun: separation from Calan. The muscular asura that talked before responded to the name, his cock currently receiving a footjob from a woman fingering herself. “With pleasure!” he said.

                _Here we go,_ Fenna thought.

 

**

 

                Calan found himself pushed down on a small table, laying flat on his back. His cock showed how excited he was, standing stiff and twitching, begging for attention. He knew this table well; donated by a former club member, the table rose to right around the average waist height of an asura.

                Plunn knelt at Calan’s feet and grabbed his thighs, spreading them wide. “Missed ya, man,” he said.

                “Right back at you.” Despite his eagerness, Calan turned his head to scan the room for Fenna. A couple ladies took care of her now, and she looked to be enjoying herself. _Perfect._

Plunn dove his head towards Calan’s crotch but didn’t go for a blowjob. Instead, his head dipped underneath Calan’s balls. Spreading Calan’s legs even farther, Plunn pushed his tongue up against Calan’s asshole.

                “Gah…” was all Calan could get out as waves of pleasure hit him. Fenna was incredible at sex, but her experience with anal was limited to him alone, and even then, not a lot so far. Plunn got a drop of pre to drip out of Calan’s cock as he put his skilled tongue to work.

                “Haven’t forgotten about me, right?” Znuaz appeared at Calan’s other end, his cock dripping from a mixture of Calan and Fenna’s saliva.

                “Not at all, come here,” Calan replied. As Plunn ate him out, Calan reached out a hand, gripping onto Znuaz’s shaft. The saliva provided a slick surface, letting him squeeze yet slide up and down the length, without tugging like a typical handjob.

                “Huxx, get over here,” Plunn called out to another man in the room. “This guy hasn’t gotten dick in over a year.”

                Calan smiled as his other hand became occupied with a cock, now jerking asura on both sides of him. In his old days as a club member, Calan tended to rotate what he focused on. Some days going for all guys, some days going for all girls, and some days getting a good mix. Today was a fitting day to get surrounded by men, and he couldn’t wait for what he knew Plunn prepared for.

                He heard a muffled “delicious” from Plunn as his tongue continued to lick and poke against his ass. Calan’s eyes fluttered, and he took a break from jerking the two men beside him to instead cup and tug at their balls. Each of them stepped a bit closer, and Calan sent his tongue in quick licking flicks against Znuaz’s tip. He smiled as he glanced down, seeing Znuaz’s toes tense and curl up in response to his action.

                Calan’s playful pushes forward halted, however, as he shouted out from Plunn’s next move. Plunn had coated one of his own fingers in saliva and sent it deep into Calan’s ass. He curled it up against Calan’s prostate, making Calan’s cock scream.

                “Oh yeah, you like that?” Plunn teased as he slid his finger in and out, feeling Calan’s inner walls tense and relax as he went. “You’re a little loud, though. Znuaz, shut him up for me while I lube up a bit.”

                Znuaz’s ears perked up at the suggestion, and Calan took a few deep breaths to calm himself, knowing what Plunn meant. His lack of a blue mark led Znuaz to step in without saying anything. He grabbed Calan’s head and turned it to the side, holding his face in place. Calan willingly opened his mouth, while Znuaz shoved his cock inside.

                Calan nearly gagged from the full length nearing the back of his throat but managed to keep himself stable. Znuaz moaned out in pleasure, letting his cock sit deep inside Calan’s lips while waiting for Plunn to get going. Calan checked to make sure he could steadily breath out his nose, figuring these guys would keep him here for a while.

                Plunn returned to stand in front of Calan’s waist, his thick cock now coated in a thin layer of quality lubricant. He grabbed Calan’s legs again, curling his elbow around one to hold it in place while his other hand positioned his cock just right. Thanks to Calan’s warmup with a finger, it took little force to ease in Plunn’s tip, and the rest of his cock soon followed.

                “Mffgbh…” Calan’s exclamations of pleasure were now muffled by the shaft shoved in his mouth. Plunn’s cock roughly matched the length of the strap-on Fenna bought to use on him, but his was thicker. _And warmer, oh so warm…_ Calan thought.

                “Hot…  damn, Calan, I missed this ass. You’ve got to be the best bottom I’ve met.” Plunn bent his knees just a bit, then slowly slid out his cock, retracting everything but the tip before ramming back inside.

                On cue, Znuaz joined in, holding Calan’s head in place while he humped Calan’s mouth. Calan was in heaven, filled to the brim with sensations absent to him for so long. A hot dick against his tongue, his ass pounded by a strong man. He watched as the third asura that he’d been pleasuring jacked off just to the sight of him on the table like this, until a girl came by and pulled him off to a bean bag. With only the cocks inside him to focus on, Calan closed his eyes, letting his moans and grunts fall into muffled nothingness. With how hard it was to swallow with a cock constantly thrusting in his mouth, saliva quickly pooled onto Znuaz’s length and dribbled out onto the table, making the slide silky smooth.

                “Yeah, you love this,” Plunn teased again, letting out a few grunts of his own as he kept up a moderate pace but intense forward force. While Plunn enjoyed bottom, he found himself quick to start jerking himself while on the receiving end. Calan was yet to put his hands anywhere near his own dick, showing just how much all of this alone got him off. His ass was wonderfully tight, providing Plunn plenty of pleasure as he drove deep.

                Znuaz owed just as much pleasure to Calan, eyes fluttering as he felt his tip ever so slightly press against Calan’s throat with each thrust. He slid his cock out just long enough to let Calan catch his breath, slapping his shaft against Calan’s face a few times while doing so. Then he went right back in, overcome with a burning desire for release.

                Knowing he had at least one more round’s worth of energy before he quit, Plunn attacked Calan’s ass with relentless power, letting himself go a bit overboard as he quickly approached a climax. He watched as Calan’s cock bounced against his stomach with each thrust, still hard as a rock. With another few pumps, he reached his limit.

                “Fuuuuuuuuuck…” Plunn shoved himself balls-deep into Calan, letting out a powerful orgasm. Burst after burst of thick cum filled up Calan’s hole, and he let himself sit in the moment, enjoying every second of the euphoric orgasm.

                Calan’s eyes rolled back in his head at the long-lost feeling of thick cum swirling around inside him. He clenched down on Plunn’s cock, just as overcome with pleasure as the one pounding him, but his desires weren’t filled yet. He could tell by Znuaz’s increased sporadic squeezing of his head that the asura was almost done.

                “Ah!” Znuaz’s toes curled as he provided Calan’s other hole with a copious amount of seed, some shooting directly down Calan’s throat while the rest pooled on his tongue. Calan’s hand reached up and squeezed Znuaz’s balls hard, as if to milk out every possible drop.

                His two suitors panted for breath as they stepped away, leaving Calan a cum-filled, sweaty body alone on a table, his own cock still aching for release. With warm semen in both ends, a switch flipped in Calan. He showed Znuaz the cum in his mouth before swallowing, then used his own hands to spread his cheeks, showing off his asshole that still gaped open a bit from Plunn’s assault. His eyes scanned the room, looking for other men nearby. His mind cleared of all but one thought.

                “Come on!” Calan shouted. “Who wants round two?”

                He smiled with lust as Plunn and Znuaz stepped back to take a break, and two more hungry men replaced them.


	7. Chapter 7

                Fenna found herself pulled away by two asuran women. One shared Fenna’s shade of red hair, though the rest of her body differed. Blue eyes, a more peach tone to her skin, and wide hips around her slim form. She was the one who approached from behind originally to play with her pussy.

                This woman seemed to team up with Dr. Lynn, the asura who originally suggested separating Fenna from her boyfriend. She put on a smile to hide her returning nerves, uncertain of whether her façade succeeded.

                “Hello again,” Lynn said. “The girl beside you is Jayyna, she suggested that she and I take you off for some fun. When was the last time you had sex with a woman?”

                Fenna struggled to think of a number. She’d stayed strong with Calan for over a year now, and before joining the Krewe of the Pact, her time in the Vigil didn’t involve much of a love life. “A while,” she answered.

                “I prefer men,” Jayyna said, rubbing her hands along Fenna’s arms. “But you shouldn’t go too long without a woman’s touch.”

                “Agreed.” Lynn guided Fenna to a purple bean bag and laid her down. Lynn and Jaynna laid on either side of her, then moved their attentive hands to Fenna’s nipples. A new wave of heat washed over her body. Not only did time away from women bring a level of anticipated excitement to Fenna, but she’d never done this sort of thing with more than one person at a time. A lot of new experiences today.

                “You see, Fenna, men are fantastic, and there’s an artform to great sex, but sometimes men can be like skritt,” Lynn explained. Her hands moved down to Fenna’s thigh, painfully close to her folds without touching them, forcing Fenna to catch her breath in her throat. “For a while, a krewe in Metrica Province tried to study skritt and analyze their behavior, but the truth is they’re just a simple people that want shiny things.”

                Lynn simultaneously leaned in for a kiss while placing her fingers over Fenna’s pussy. The combination of sensations made Fenna’s back arch, and she moaned in delight.

                Looking into Fenna’s eyes, Lynn started rubbing and stimulating the clit as she continued her reasoning. “Skritt don’t care what it is as long as it’s shiny. Men, on the other hand, just want something to create a smooth friction against their penis. Hand, mouth, vagina, they’re not picky. It takes a lot more knowledge and effort to make a woman remember you. We are complex creatures, but when we work with each other, we have that mutual understanding. We know just where to go.”

                At that moment, Lynn curled a finger into Fenna’s wet cavern, forcing another moan out of her. Looking down at her belly, it didn’t seem like Lynn was doing anything different than Calan or another man would do with their hands. Yet Fenna felt electrified, waves of ecstasy pulsing from pussy to sensory perception. Perhaps the uniqueness of the situation made Lynn’s touch feel wilder, or perhaps she truly was that good. Fenna no longer cared.

                Jayyna shifted around, sitting up, then moved to kneel above Fenna’s head. She’d seen everyone naked when she walked in, but now Fenna had a full, detailed view of a girl’s pussy, something she hadn’t looked at in quite some time. Jayyna looked down and smiled. “I think I can have some fun here,” she said.

                Slowly, Jayyna lowered herself until she just barely touched against Fenna’s face. The whole room began to smell of sex shortly after starting, but the full, rich aroma of Jayyna’s heat hit Fenna hard. She inhaled deeply, taking in the scent that differed so much from the musky smell men carried. Then she went to work.

                Jayyna twirled her hair as waves of pleasure started hitting her, Fenna giving all she had. Lynn watched with delight, leaving just one hand to work on Fenna while she let the other give herself some relief.

                A little rusty, Fenna took longer than she hoped to find the spots that got Jayyna shivering. Once she found them, however, Jayyna’s lips greeted her with a trickle of love juices, quickly lapped up by Fenna’s tongue. She powered through to keep pleasuring the woman on top of her, though Lynn brought her close to her limit. Fenna’s feet tensed, then kicked out as an orgasm rocked her body, her tunnel convulsing on Lynn’s fingers while her loud moan stopped at Jayyna’s entrance, muffled and lost.

                “Oh, right there, just a little more…” Jayyna pleaded, clearly reaching a limit herself. Lynn stepped back, impressed with Fenna’s dedication through her own peak. She smiled as Jayyna hunched over, her body shaking as an orgasm rocked her body.

                “I feel a little left out here.” The smile on Lynn’s face betrayed her sarcasm. “But I know a fun way to get me in. Jayyna, come return the favor from Fenna’s tongue for her.”

                Jayyna played along, swinging her leg over to move back from Fenna’s head. Lynn directed her to lay down sideways on the bean bag, giving her an idea of what was to come. As Jayyna got into place, Lynn also moved, laying down with her waist next to Fenna’s head, letting one leg trail off the bean bag while the other swung over to rest on Fenna’s chest.

                Fenna tilted her head up to get a full picture of what was going on. She saw that their bodies now formed a sort of triangle on the bean bag, with everyone in position to bring their mouth in between someone’s legs. She felt herself quiver just at the thought, readying for another round of fun.

                As they got into position, Fenna shot a glance towards where she last saw Calan. She found him on a table, flat on his back while two men pounded into either end like their lives depended on it. A third man groaned as he jerked his own cock, shaking as an orgasm exploded out onto Calan’s stomach. After that, she noticed a sizeable volume of cum across Calan’s torso; she wondered how much was his own and how much belonged to others. It made her happy to see Calan enjoying himself so much and chuckled to herself. _He’s really going all out,_ she thought. _I’m at an orgy and I’m tame compared to him._

She brought her attention back to the women with her as she turned her neck, the familiar aroma of female hormones hitting her as nose hit pussy. She scooched herself a bit closer, resting her head comfortably on Lynn’s thigh while she started to dig in.

                Shortly after Fenna started, she felt another wave of pleasure hit her from below. Jayyna began licking and sucking on her folds, in turn getting eaten out by the doctor. Each nerve that got struck just right motivated one to try harder, leading to a pleasure spike for their recipient, and so on in a wonderful cycle of ecstasy. A few feet away, a man and woman playing with each other took a break to masturbate to this symbiotic spectacle.

                A blissful, paradoxical combination of horny and relaxed took over Fenna as she savored the taste of Lynn’s juices, lashing her tongue across, pushing in, then back to playful licks. Lynn’s points about women sharing an understanding of each other echoed in her mind as Jayyna took her pleasure to new heights, making her toes curl. With all the stimulation, both direct and through hearing the moans and grunts of others around her, Fenna wouldn’t last long.

                Lynn was first to break, likely pent up from working on Fenna with little attention to herself. Her legs tightened around Fenna’s head as she came, her hand grabbing a fistful of Fenna’s hair and pulling her as close as possible to her folds.

                Jayyna came next, giving Lynn a mouthful of juices to savor. Her peak in pleasure motivated her to attack Fenna’s pussy with newfound vigor, and soon, Fenna found her eyes rolling back in her head as an incredibly powerful orgasm rocked her whole body. She’d experienced more powerful orgasms than this one, but not often. She felt as if her temperature rose a couple degrees just from reacting to the intense moment.

                The three girls regrouped, sitting up to face each other again and bask in the warmth of each other’s bodies. It was clear that none of them were done, their lust only fueled by the recent activity.

                “You’re incredible, Fenna,” Lynn said with a grin. “I hope you come back more.”

                Fenna held back her gut response, just in case passion of the moment might lead to a promise she’d regret. “One step at a time, but you certainly gave me something I’ve missed,” she replied, keeping her future decision vague.

                “Well, men may be like skritt, but they know how to please,” Jayyna said. “I think I need one before this is over.”

                Lynn nodded, her eyes catching the stare of a man across the room, who pointed at something she definitely wanted to get on top of. “We’ve kept you long enough, Fenna, you can get back with Calan if you like. Or browse the rest of the crowd, there’s plenty of love to go around.”

                “Thanks,” Fenna replied. In need of more action before this was over, Fenna considered where to go. When she saw Calan in the same position he was a while ago, getting destroyed by two men at a time, an idea struck her.

 

**

 

                Calan lost himself to old pleasures, going even farther down the slutty rabbit hole than he’d gone in the past before dating Fenna. Since he got on the table, he hadn’t moved, taking several loads of cum in his mouth and ass, letting whoever stepped in line take him. Some asura decided to use his body as a canvas, finishing themselves off on his stomach, chest, or face. A painting of cum covered much of his body, and some of his own spilled out from two orgasms so far. One of those came with no hands, when a man particularly good at topping made his prostate sing. Calan knew he’d walk funny for at least a couple days and didn’t care.

                “Alright everyone, ten-minute warning! Finish whatever orgasm you’re on!” Time flied by during this session of the orgy club. Calan couldn’t believe the event was almost over. Another part of asuran efficiency, near the origin of the club a time limit was set for meetings, both to let asura keep a schedule and get back to krewe work, as well as for health reasons to make sure nobody pushed themselves too far. He felt both men inside him start to add some extra force to their thrusts, wanting to fuck Calan until they popped off. Wanting to guarantee one more orgasm himself, Calan started to reach for his own dick when he felt a hand swat his aside.

                “You’re not using this cock, are you?”

                “All yours, miss. Let’s give him a good ending.”

                Calan recognized both voices. The first belonging to Fenna, the second to the man currently inside his ass. He strained his eyes to get a look, his head locked down by the man fucking his mouth, and watched as Fenna climbed onto the table. Without any pause for effect, Fenna simply grabbed his dick, lined it up, and hilted him.

                The sudden enveloping warmth around his cock made Calan’s eyes flutter. Fenna began riding him hard, her walls already incredibly slick and hot from whatever she did before coming over here. The man in his ass started pounding again, and with the face-fucking that hadn’t stopped, Calan now had three sources of pleasure to deal with at once. His body overloaded as one sensation after another hit him, pleasure beyond words coursing through his nerves.

                Fenna giggled as she leaned into the man fucking Calan, putting their mouths together as their tongues danced around. Just like when the orgy began, Fenna felt familiarity mixed with wild and new, taking in Calan’s cock while she kissed a man whose name she didn’t know. She rode Calan hard, pushing herself to a climax while she hoped to the Alchemy she’d make Calan cum harder than ever before with this team effort.

                Despite all his time in the orgy club, Calan never found himself in a position like this before. He’d gotten blown while someone fucked him, but nothing as intense as this. He made a mental note for any future orgy opportunities: a girl on top with a guy inside him made for some of the best sex he’d ever had. Despite his prior orgasms already draining his sack, he felt a large load building up.

                Calan gave out first. Everything became too much as his back arched, burst after burst of cum gushing into Fenna’s tight pussy. Fenna rode him through the peak, gasping as the man in front of her started rubbing her clit, sensing she was close. Fenna clawed at his shoulders as she came, convulsing on top of her boyfriend.

                Next, the man in Calan’s ass lost his hold. He gave Calan a few more hard pumps, then buried himself balls deep as he let out a powerful orgasm, adding to the mix of several other men’s cum already deep inside Calan’s hole. And to top it all off, a voice shouting “fuck, here it comes!” got Fenna to turn her head as the last man in their little group spasmed, his cock draining itself down Calan’s throat.

                Fenna was spent for today, there was no question about that. But for whatever reason, watching someone ejaculate inside Calan’s mouth really turned her on. A thought she saved to contemplate later.

                Some already sat or laid down panting for breath, smiling and kissing one another, while one by one, grunts and moans turned into one last shout of elation, bringing the orgy to a close. It wasn’t until now that Fenna realized how much the smell of sweat and bodily fluids built up in the room, a musky scent that was sexy now, but explained the donations for cleaning supplies. Fenna slid off Calan’s cock and turned to face him. He sat up, clearly in a daze, and she watched pools of cum on Calan’s torso start to run down toward his waist. They locked eyes, and Fenna couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of her boyfriend now. He looked down at himself, laughing as well once he saw the mess. She’d let herself enjoy the moment, but now it really sunk in what Fenna just did. And she… liked it. None of the regret she feared built up in her.

                “Did you… have fun?” Calan said, his voice a bit weak.

                In one last hot act, instead of responding verbally Fenna lowered her head. She licked up a glob of cum off Calan’s chest, letting it sit on her tongue. She grabbed Calan’s head and pulled him in for a kiss. Though surprised, Calan quickly accepted, opening his mouth to share the warm, salty fluid with her.

                When they pulled away, Calan gulped. “I’ve told you I love you, right? Because, shit, I love you.”

                Fenna swung her legs over the edge of the table. “Many times. And I love you, too.”


	8. Chapter 8

                Crados grunted as he completed his set on the bench press. He worked his muscles in the krewe gym at least every other day to maintain his strength, despite preferring to use his talents in speed and stealth. Darren made sure to order equipment sized for all races when requests for a gym mounted up, so asura and charr alike could make use of it. With his workout done, he stood up, ready for some stretches, recovery, and a hot shower.

               He said goodbye to Arin, who busied himself with one-arm pullups. Arin would never match Crados in strength, the difference in raw muscle mass far too great, but Crados doubted many asura could top the warrior. Arin trained hard, and whenever Crados got a chance to see him practice combat, he swung a greatsword around like it weighed little more than a feather, all while clad in plate armor.

               As he stepped out of the gym, he saw Calan and Fenna walking together. Calan caught his eye; he walked with a noticeable limp.

               “You alright, Calan?” The question caught both Calan and Fenna’s attention. Calan seemed to shift his feet, as if a little nervous.

               “Oh, uh, yeah, hey Crados,” Calan said, scratching at his hair. “I’m fine, it’s just, the other day I, uh…”

               “Tripped,” Fenna finished. “I was there.”

               Crados crossed his arms. “And tripping gave you a limp?”

               “I got tripped really hard,” Calan added. “Down one of the rocky slopes outside our lab.”

               Fenna chimed in again, adding to Crados’ suspicion. “Yeah, he really got pounded,” she said. “B-by the rocks, on the slope. But he’s fine, just walking it off.”

               Clearly something happened. Crados knew Calan, knew how he acted before dating Fenna, and warned him against doing anything to hurt her. He’d grab Calan by the throat and shove him against a wall if Fenna wasn’t covering for him. He couldn’t say for sure what happened, but whatever it was, Fenna knew about it and approved. With her safe, Crados decided he probably didn’t want to know any more detail.

               “The Shiverpeaks are icy year-round,” Crados said. “Be careful.”

               “Absolutely, I will, thanks.” Calan shuffled off with Fenna, while Crados shrugged and turned away.

 

**

 

               With little time left before the wedding, excitement in both krewes bubbled up. Final plans came into place, bills got paid, everyone double and triple checked schedules. To prevent themselves from going insane, Frixx and Vicxxa scheduled a full day off from any wedding-related issues. They combined this day off with a full day of Darren and Batanga babysitting for them, leaving no worries about their progeny either. The perfect day to relax, rest up, and have a threesome with Jinxx.

               At first, their day off passed like any other. A home-cooked breakfast, reading casually with fiction novels and catching up on a monthly compilation of krewe research reports from Rata Sum and all over the hidden-away labs across Tyria. A partner workout, as anyone in Tyria who wanted to travel beyond their home either needed to train to fight or hire someone else to do so. Vicxxa taught Frixx some martial arts to use as a backup for his revenant powers. After all the explanations of his abilities, it still baffled Vicxxa that her fiancé sparred her with a blindfold on.

               As the fateful time approached, however, it became harder for the couple to come up with things to do. Neither of them held second thoughts about moving forward with their plan, but a mix of nerves and excitement eventually led to them just sitting on their couch, talking casually as the minutes counted down.

               The three decided to use Frixx and Vicxxa’s living quarters in Darren’s lab. Jinxx would be walking through the gate connecting their labs and knocking on their door any minute now.

               “So…” Vicxxa said, her eyes darting towards the door. “Ever done something like this before?”

               Frixx shook his head. “I like sex as much as the next guy, but I’ve never done anything with more than one person,” he said. “You’ve got loads of wacky sex stories you’ve told me from your time on Jinxx’s krewe. I think I’ve only ever done one crazy thing.”

               “Really?” Vicxxa couldn’t remember any crazy story from Frixx, which surprised her given how long they’d dated. “I don’t think you’ve told me your only crazy story.”

               “Back from my days in the College of Dynamics,” Frixx began. “Pretty mellow when it came to relationships, but I liked a good party now and then. This friend in our group, she’d just gotten back from studying abroad in Kryta and we wanted to celebrate her return home. She was raving about this bookah party game that we needed to try.”

               “What’s it called?”

               “Spin the Bottle,” he replied. “You sit in a circle, spin a bottle around, and have to kiss whoever the bottle points to when it stops. We all got pretty drunk and carried away that night. Started doing more than kissing. Everyone kept upping the ante off each other, and I ended up having sex with that friend in front of everybody.”

               Vicxxa smiled. “Sounds hot. I’m sure Dexx would love an escalated version of that game.”

               “I never got that crazy at a party again, but I don’t regret it,” Frixx said. “Still, I knew that girl well, and it was only one girl. This will be something new.”

               The knock on their door made both asura jump as the moment of truth arrived. Vicxxa walked over to open up, and Jinxx stepped in.

               Geothermal heating in Darren’s lab and the indoor gate connecting them to Jinxx’s krewe allowed Jinxx to wear jungle attire in the Shiverpeaks. She wore lightweight asuran robes, a blue shade that complimented her hair with grey accents. Much more formal than the loose shirts and pants Frixx and his wife wore.

               “Oh yeah, I had to come straight from a meeting,” Jinxx said, noticing the looks. “Statics wants to send some first-year students on three-week apprenticeships with various krewes, and I’d love some extra help and a chance to teach.”

               “No worries,” Frixx said. “Good to see you.”

               All three hesitated, no one sure of what move to make next. Jinxx eagerly accepted the invite but knew how long Frixx and Vicxxa maintained their committed relationship, and thoughts of the upcoming wedding gave her pause. Vicxxa felt unsure of Frixx’s comfort level, and Frixx was completely clueless.

               Perhaps the cluelessness on how to move forward gave Frixx a bit of blind courage, as he spoke up first. “So, not sure how to start this,” he said. “Normally sex is more spur of the moment: end of a date, suddenly hot and bothered, cuddling up before bed…”

               “I know what you mean, this isn’t my first time scheduling sex, but it always starts a little shaky,” Jinxx replied. Frixx saying what the other two were thinking calmed the atmosphere, and everyone seemed to lighten up. Vicxxa and Jinxx joined Frixx on the couch. “When sex is spontaneous, you just go, but what are you supposed to do when it’s like, ‘oh, you want to bang me? I can mark you down in my schedule after lunch.’”

               Vicxxa chuckled. “If we’re not backing down from this idea, I think the best thing is to just be spontaneous, not overthink it. Jinxx, you’re not gonna mess up our relationship, we invited you here. Frixx, you can call this off any time.”

               “I’m hesitant, but resolute,” Frixx said. “I said I’d do this, and I’ll do it. Just… wondering what to do.”

               “I think Vicxxa’s got the right idea.” With no warning, Jinxx swung herself around. Instead of sitting on the couch, she now rested on her knees, one leg on either side of Vicxxa’s lap. Hovering over her, she continued. “We’ll sit here all day if we try to decide how to go about this. Vicxxa and I have done stuff before, so I’ll start with her where it’s less awkward. Frixx, I think you’ll settle in after watching this for a bit.” With that, Jinxx tilted Vicxxa’s chin up, leaned her head down, and started kissing Frixx’s fiancé.

               Frixx watched Vicxxa’s whole body tense, her hands open wide, then everything melted away. Vicxxa sunk into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Jinxx’s back, letting their lips overlap again and again. Frixx felt as if his thoughts spoke to him in a foreign language. He couldn’t make sense of how his mind interpreted the scene in front of him. But just as Vicxxa relaxed into the moment, so too did Frixx’s unintelligible emotions fade out, leaving only the most basic of a typical male’s thoughts behind: two girls kissing in front of him. That was hot.

               He pivoted on the couch, leaning back against the arm as Vicxxa and Jinxx continued making out. He made no moves of his own, nor did he remove his clothing yet. For now, he spectated, letting a mild bulge grow beneath his shorts.

               Vicxxa started to work on the excessive amount of clothing Jinxx wore for the occasion. She slipped her fingers into the layers of Jinxx’s robes, untying things as she went. Jinxx stuffed her hands under Vicxxa’s shirt, caressing her stomach, then her chest, but made no move to take it off. She didn’t want to cause a break in the kiss just yet.

               Soon after Vicxxa got to work, Jinxx’s outer robes slid off her shoulders, leaving her pants and a loose undershirt. While even small breasts were rare among asura, women often still wore some sort of bra or covering on their nipples. Frixx saw through Jinxx’s sleeve that she wore none.

               “Screw it,” Frixx said to himself, hastily pulling off his shirt and tossing it to the side. He then pulled down his shorts, leaving him naked on the side of the couch. The sensual sight before him left Frixx with a near full erection already, and after a few strokes with his hand, he was rock hard and fully sold on this.

               Vicxxa caught his erect cock out of the corner of her eye and broke off the kiss with Jinxx. “Oh dear, we forgot about someone.” Her sly tone got a chuckle out of her fiancé.

               Jinxx’s jaw dropped as she looked over. The intricate lined pattern of his darker skin down across the light shade, his incredibly fit body, and a sizeable, gorgeous cock to top it all off. “You’re every bit as hot as I imagined,” she said.

               Frixx raised his brow. “And how often do you ‘imagine’ me?”

               “Hey, I can respect a committed relationship, but you nor I can control what I dream about,” she replied. Jinxx crawled away from Vicxxa until she hovered over Frixx, placing her hands on the couch arm to hold herself up. “And just this once, before you get married…” Jinxx shifted all her weight to one hand and used the other to reach down and cup Frixx’s balls. The grip caught Frixx off guard as he hissed through a sharp inhale, his muscles tensing. “I can live out a dream.”

               Jinxx arched down to lock lips with Frixx, continuing to fondle and pull on Frixx’s balls as she did so. Already hot and warmed up, Vicxxa took less time than Frixx to adjust to the sight of their lover making out with someone else. She took a turn to sit back and watch, tossing off all her clothes so she’d be ready for the next step. She spread her legs across the unused half of the couch, using one finger to gently rub along her folds.

               Frixx grabbed at Jinxx’s waistband, tugging down her pants to free her heat. He and Vicxxa had the advantage of starting barefoot, while Jinxx forgot about her shoes. When her pants got stuck, she used the moment as an excuse to lay herself atop Frixx, pushing into him to give herself leverage. One after the other, Jinxx kicked off her shoes, one caught by Vicxxa after nearly hitting her in the face.

               “Watch where you throw your clothes,” Vicxxa warned. “But please, continue.”

               After hearing the _thwap_ of shoe against hand, Jinxx giggled and kicked off her pants with less force. They fell to the ground, leaving Vicxxa with a full view of Jinxx’s ass and pussy. Jinxx counted herself lucky that her shirt bunched up a bit when she pushed down. It got out of the way of Frixx’s throbbing cock, letting it press against her stomach.

               Frixx grunted at the warmth of Jinxx’s body against his. He broke their kiss, only to swivel his head to the side and nibble on her ear. Satisfied with the noticeable moan he got out of Jinxx, he turned his attention to the last of her clothing.

               Jinxx leaned away to rest vertically on her knees, raising her arms up. Her position let Frixx pull off her shirt with ease, and now no one in this new trio had anything to hide. Jinxx looked down at Frixx and winked, grabbing his dick and giving it a few slow, smooth tugs.

               Frixx took this moment to admire Jinxx’s body. No dual skin tone or patterns like Vicxxa or himself, just a vibrant, bright white that caught hold of his eyes. Not too slim, enough muscle on her body to prove her handiness with a greatsword, but beautifully shaped, nonetheless.

               “You’re gorgeous,” he told her, catching a quick flash of red in her cheeks before it disappeared. “I hope I’m living up to your dreams.”

               “Living up and then some,” Jinxx replied. “I knew you had to be hot to get Vicxxa to settle down. Speaking of down…”

               For a moment, Frixx didn’t realize he was holding his breath as Jinxx leaned down again, but this time moving herself backwards, her mouth clearly headed for somewhere new. If Vicxxa couldn’t see Jinxx’s pussy before, she held a prime view now as Jinxx rested on all fours, putting her ass up in the air while she lowered her head to Frixx’s crotch.

               Jinxx held Frixx’s cock at the base and placed her tongue on the tip of his penis. Rather than lick across his tip, she moved her whole head forward, dragging her tongue across as she went. Frixx’s eyes fluttered, and he found himself gripping the couch cushions as he watched Jinxx work. After catching his attention, Jinxx sunk down further, letting Frixx’s cock enter her mouth.

               “Oh, fuck…” Frixx moaned as Jinxx started a painfully slow-paced blowjob. Painful perhaps gave the wrong impression- her hot mouth and tongue sent electrifying sparks of pleasure through his body. But she kept a teasing pace, dragging out every upward and downward slide, licking across his tip now and then. The mellow speed made him want to push up towards her mouth, but he resisted, knowing a slow pace meant he’d keep his stamina up. With two beautiful women to please, he’d need all he could get.

               Watching Frixx’s cock disappear inside Jinxx’s mouth left Vicxxa burning to join in. She put her own pleasure aside for the moment, getting on all fours in a similar position to Jinxx, lined up right behind her friend. With a similar starting move, Vicxxa got close to Jinxx’s folds and placed her tongue near the edge, dragging her tongue all the way across before diving deep.

               Jinxx managed to keep her composure and excitement contained before this, but Vicxxa attacking her pussy forced her to lose some restraint. As pleasure started surging through her body, she increased the pace of Frixx’s blowjob, bobbing her head along his full length. She let go of the base to test hilting him, and her mouth had just enough room without the danger of gagging. She took Frixx to the base with every swing of her head, hearing heightened moans out of him as she did so.

               Frixx learned early on in their relationship that Vicxxa was bisexual, but the thought faded to the back of his mind until now. Forcing himself to look up from the incredible view of Jinxx going down on him, he watched Vicxxa go after Jinxx’s pussy with the same passion and intensity he would on a woman. The sight turned him on even more, his cock aching as blood rushed through it, keeping it stiff as a rock against Jinxx’s tongue.

               In watching Vicxxa work, Frixx realized how her legs stretched beyond the edge of the couch. The blowjob made him forget most of it, but he felt some discomfort in his back, the couch arm meant to support its namesake rather than a whole body.

               “Would you ladies like to take this to the bedroom?” Frixx suggested. “Plenty of space on our bed.”

               Jinxx let Frixx’s cock linger in her mouth for a moment before letting it pop free to respond. A glistening layer of saliva covered his entire length. “Sounds good to me, how about- ah, that’s good… Vicxxa?”

               After a chuckle, Vicxxa pulled away from Jinxx’s pussy, nodding. “More comfortable there, and more we can do.” She winked.

               Frixx stood up, his erection jutting out in front of him as he led the way. Jinxx rushed to his left side, pushing up against him, and Vicxxa did the same on his right. The pause from sex gave Frixx another moment to consciously consider his actions. He looked at Vicxxa, and the warm smile on her face was enough to give him confidence moving forward. He spread out his fingers on both hands and reached behind the girls, groping both their asses hard at the same time. Jinxx giggled and Vicxxa gasped with delight. In kind, Jinxx and Vicxxa each took one of his cheeks in their hand and gave a hard squeeze. By the time they all let go, they entered Frixx and Vicxxa’s bedroom.

               “How about you two lay together,” Frixx suggested, an idea forming in his head. The two girls complied, laying on their backs, heads atop pillows. Frixx stood at the foot of the bed, frozen for a moment.

               Jinxx spread her legs, then used two fingers on either side of her pussy to spread her folds as far as she could. “I think he got charmed by the view.” She spoke in a mock whisper to Vicxxa, plenty loud for Frixx to hear.

               “You’re not wrong,” Frixx replied. Though never one to do something like this, Frixx couldn’t deny the occasional sexual fantasies that floated through his mind. He forgot the exact statistics from an asuran study on how often asuran males think about sex, but he knew the answer to be higher than any dedicated scientist would want to admit about himself. The sight of two women, both gorgeous, both wanting him, made Frixx second-guess if he was dreaming for a moment. He shook his head, knowing this was indeed real, and he needed to please.

               Frixx laid on his stomach, putting his head in between Vicxxa’s legs. He opened his mouth and pressed up against her pussy, licking across her folds. At the same time, he brought a hand up to Jinxx’s heat, pushing a finger inside her.

               Jinxx finally got to see the talent Vicxxa raved about. She curled her hands around the blankets below her as Frixx sent shockwaves of pleasure rippling through her body. Vicxxa looked just as riled up as her, if not more so, meaning Frixx multitasked like a master. Each of them gasped, moaned, and sighed as different sweet spots in their pussies got hit.

               With Frixx already driving her wild, Vicxxa leaning in to nibble on Jinxx’s ear made her lose it. She shut her eyes tight, a long, low moan escaping through her pursed lips. After a bit more nibbling and a second finger going into her, all the tension came to a peak as Jinxx let out a powerful orgasm.

               “Fuuuuuck…” Jinxx opened her eyes and panted for breath, slowly coming down from the pleasure high. Frixx removed his fingers, letting her relax for a moment while bringing all his focus to Vicxxa. As Vicxxa leaned away from her ear, Jinxx could see her struggling to hold back, and threw some fuel on the fire. Jinxx moved her head straight past Vicxxa’s ear, instead choosing to lick along her friend’s neck.

               Like icing on the cake, Jinxx’s hot, dripping tongue against her made Vicxxa lost control. Her body convulsed as she came on Frixx’s tongue, giving him plenty of juices to savor.

               Frixx took pride in his skill, smiling as the two ladies entertained each other while he worked. He came up to his knees on the bed, his cock throbbing and aching for attention as his eyes danced around every inch of Jinxx and Vicxxa’s bodies.

               Seeing Frixx’s silent cry for attention, Vicxxa conjured an idea. She rolled towards Jinxx, placing herself on top of her friend. Face to face with Jinxx, down below she knew that her fiancé saw two wet pussies right next to each other.

               “Let’s do some real work, Frixx,” she said. “You clearly need it. Why don’t you pick one?”

               Frixx gulped as both Jinxx and Vicxxa spread their legs, giving him room to get nice and close to their pair of pussies. He scooched forward, sending his arms underneath Jinxx’s thighs to lift them up a bit. With that, he could slide his knees forward and get close enough to hilt himself in either girl.

               “We should be polite to our guest, let her go first.”

               Frixx held his breath as he moved in, pushing the tip of his penis against Jinxx’s entrance. Far past the point of no return in his mind, Frixx gave a gentle push to penetrate, then a slow, smooth thrust to sink deep.

               “Ah!” Jinxx gasped into Vicxxa’s face, a new rush of pleasure hitting her as Frixx filled her up. She felt his cock throb against her inner walls, and Vicxxa’s warm body on top of her gave no place for her heat to go. She started to sweat a bit as Frixx pulled out his member, sliding in slow again as if testing the waters.

               Frixx shivered at the sensation of Jinxx’s wet pussy clasping around is cock. He knew Vicxxa’s body inside and out, every little detail that made up her form. He’d stayed with her so long that the slight differences in Jinxx almost confused him for a moment. Different certainly didn’t mean worse, as her hot, slick tunnel only fueled his hunger for release.

               “Give it to her, Frixx, she’s ready,” Vicxxa said, rubbing noses with Jinxx. “I’ll stay away from kissing her for now, I want to hear her moan from what you do to her.”

               As Vicxxa lowered her head to suckle on Jinxx’s neck, Frixx obliged her request. He started a rhythm of powerful thrusts, pushing in and out of Jinxx. A noticeable _slap_ emanated in the room with each push, his balls swinging underneath his hard cock.

               Jinxx gave Vicxxa just what she wanted: loud moans. Frixx’s cock felt incredible, only augmented by Vicxxa sucking and biting her neck enough to leave a mark. Jinxx ran her hands up and down Vicxxa’s back for a time, but soon found her hands flat against the bed, all her attention lost to the cock pounding her. “Oh, fuck, ahg…”

               Frixx enjoyed swapping positions a lot in sex, for the different feel that a pussy provided when rotated or at a different angle. He realized in this threesome that he had the power to change positions instantly, something never available to him before. With a sly grin crossing his face, one that neither Jinxx nor Vicxxa saw or anticipated, he pulled out of Jinxx completely, and in the same motion thrust forward into Vicxxa, burying himself in one quick thrust.

               For a split second Jinxx wondered what would come next once Frixx pulled out, then she watched Vicxxa rear her head back and cry out in pleasure. Jinxx capitalized on her friend’s moment of weakness, pulling her head close and biting down on her ear.

               Jinxx’s position provided one advantage over Vicxxa’s. With her pussy below Vicxxa’s, and in such close proximity, Frixx’s balls slapped against her clit and outer folds with each forward thrust. Not a lot of stimulation, but enough to keep her fired up while she waited for another turn.

               “Damn…” Frixx grunted as he poured his energy into pleasing Vicxxa, pushing spots he knew much better than the recent arrival to their bedroom. Just when he began to feel a loss of control, he pulled away, breathing for a moment before entering Jinxx again. The two pussies each provided a tight, slick entryway for his cock, while orientation and personal traits added a unique flavor. He felt no need to switch things up, incredibly pleased with the situation he found himself in. He continued to swap back and forth, Vicxxa then Jinxx, back around, the whole time varying his speed and power.     

               The two girls never argued against Frixx staying right where he was. Not knowing when his cock would return provided an extra layer of excitement to their arousal. Each took advantage of their breaks from Frixx going after them, adding on to the other’s pleasure with licks, kisses, bites, or encouraging dirty talk.

               After a while, Frixx’s breaks between each attack lessened in effectiveness; he knew he’d reach his limit soon. “Girls, I’m almost spent,” he said between pants for breath. “I want to be fair here, where do you want it?”

               Jinxx and Vicxxa looked at each other and nodded in silent understanding. “Stand up, we’ll take care of you,” Vicxxa told him.

               Frixx burned the last of his self-control to pull away from Jinxx’s pussy, standing up on the bed. He towered above the two gorgeous girls for a moment while they got up on their knees. When they both put their heads next to his cock, he bit his lip, nearly cumming just at the sight of each of them getting so close to his erection.

               Vicxxa cupped and gently tugged on Frixx’s balls, while Jinxx grabbed his shaft and started jerking him with vigor. The girls pressed their faces together, Frixx’s cock aimed right at them. “Oh… shit…” Frixx groaned, the new stimulation pushing him over the edge.

               “That’s right, give it up,” Jinxx urged, gripping him even harder, fluids from two vaginas providing plenty of lubricant to keep her motions smooth. “How much do you want it, Vicxxa?”

               “More than ever,” Vicxxa added. She squeezed Frixx’s balls, opening her mouth and letting her tongue hang out.

               Their combined words and stimulation spelled Frixx’s end. He cried out in ecstasy as cum exploded from his cock, flying out toward the pair of beautiful faces in front of him. Jinxx swiveled his shaft back and forth, letting one burst land on her face, then making the next land on Vicxxa’s. He came harder than he had in a while, and by the time he was spent, Jinxx and Vicxxa’s faces and tongues were both a hot, sticky mess.

               “Damn,” Frixx sighed, a wave of euphoria hitting him. “That was hot.”

               “Hey Vicxxa, let’s see what our cum mixed together tastes like.”

               These ladies weren’t quite done pleasing Frixx. Each took turns to lick and suck the cum off his shaft, causing Frixx’s eyes to flutter. Once satisfied that they’d cleaned him off, they turned to kissing each other, licking the splashes of cum off each other’s faces, and giving Frixx a sight hot enough to nearly get him hard again.

               “Wow…” Jinxx spoke up first after everyone calmed down from the adrenaline rush. “Vicxxa, I’ve missed doing this with you. And Frixx, you’re incredible.”

               “I must admit, I’m glad Vicxxa brought this up.” Frixx sat down, and the three asura sat facing each other while they caught their breath. “That was something else.”

               “Thanks for coming, Jinxx,” Vicxxa said. “I think that got everything out of my system. I’m ready for this next part of my life.”

               Jinxx bit her lip, preparing a question she both predicted and feared the answer to. “So, this just a one-time thing?”

               Frixx and Vicxxa looked at each other. They knew their partner’s eyes well enough to nod in understanding without discussion, and Frixx spoke up for both of them. “Yes, sorry,” he said.

               “There’s a lot to like about a wild sex life,” Vicxxa added. “But there’s also something special about sharing that intimate moment with just one person. Maybe you’ll see that one day, Jinxx, but even if not, there’s nothing wrong with doing what you do for the rest of your days. For us, though, this will be it.”

               Disappointed, but understanding, Jinxx leaned in and gave Vicxxa a quick hug. “Hey, plenty of people to sleep with, don’t worry about me,” she said. “I’m happy for both of you.” She meant it, and planned to respect their commitment, but one last question popped into her head. A shot in the dark, but she took her chance. “So, uh… are you loyal to each other starting now, or will it start after I leave? Because I’ve got a couple hours…”

               Frixx and Vicxxa exchanged glances again, debating each other through eye contact alone. He moved to whisper in her ear, and she whispered a few things back. After nodding at each other, Frixx shrugged and looked back at Jinxx.

               “It’ll start when you leave, and we’ve got a couple hours…”


	9. Chapter 9

 

               Frixx combed his eyes over every inch of his robes, making sure that nothing was out of place. He’d adjusted his sleeves no less than a dozen times, accepting that they probably looked fine after a few minutes of back and forth. Settling nerves on his wedding day proved impossible.

               A rare parallel across all five major races of Tyria, each race had a traditional wedding outfit that remained the same across the majority of weddings. The style of each race’s outfit stayed the same while individuals chose how to dye it. This strange, chance occurrence gave evidence that all the races of Tyria shared more similarities than differences. United under larger threats: dragons, liches, gods, and more, the peoples of the world learned to stop turning to each other for conflict.

               Frixx and Vicxxa decided to keep their color choices secret from one another. They told a third party their choices just to make sure colors wouldn’t clash, and their first choices seemed to work just fine. Frixx selected a dark burgundy for himself, with black outlines.

               A knock on the door stopped Frixx from picking another portion of his clothes to nitpick over. “I’m dressed, come in,” he said.

               An older asura stepped in, her long hair a bit wispy. Frixx stood tall, holding out his arms to give her a full view of his outfit. Tears welled in her eyes, and she rushed forward, pulling Frixx into a hug.

               “It’s ok, mom,” Frixx assured her, holding her tight. “I’m here.”

               She pulled back, nodding her head. “I know, I know,” she said. “But you weren’t always, so I’ll take every moment with you I can get.”

               His mother’s health several years back gave the inquest a means to blackmail Frixx into working for them. Through tricks and thievery, the inquest became the sole supplier of the medicine his mother dearly needed to survive this long. By some stroke of luck, when a lab accident caused Frixx to get sucked into the mists and the inquest presumed him dead, they didn’t see his mother as a threat or a loose end. Slowly, the medicine came back to public shelves, and around a month later, Frixx returned from the mists as a newly made revenant.

               Frixx couldn’t imagine the pain her mother went through, to think her son died for weeks before he managed to come back. However, that accident gave each of them freedom from the inquest, as Frixx started a new life as a new man. He learned in his new life to find positivity that resulted from past negatives. His horrid time as an inquest pawn gave Frixx an instant connection with Vicxxa when he met her. Without it, perhaps they wouldn’t be marrying each other today.

               “I’m so proud of you,” his mother said, wiping tears away from her eyes. “You came back from death to build yourself a new life. And with it, a progeny that you can share the wonders of the Eternal Alchemy to. There’s no better feeling than raising the next generation of brilliant minds to lead asura towards the future.”

               “I’ll remember that,” Frixx told her.

 

**

 

               The sunny day in Lion’s Arch kept everyone warm for the outdoor wedding. Atop the hill where the ceremony took place, the glorious city that refused to fall shined in the distance, ever bustling with activity within and on the shores.

               Frixx and Vicxxa’s invited guests took seats in front of the altar, while as expected, a small crowd gathered behind, people who happened to pass by and see the spectacle. When planning the wedding, Frixx and Vicxxa decided to let that happen naturally, not bothering with hiring someone to shoo spectators away. If people wanted to see a wedding, let them.

               Calan and Fenna sat together a few rows behind the front, holding hands while Fenna rested her head on Calan’s shoulder. Though both of them questioned if they’d ever get married, sitting in this setting certainly reminded them of how deeply they cared for one another.

               “When does the ceremony start?” Calan asked, seeing almost all the reserved seats filled up.

               “A few minutes or so, Frixx and Vicxxa have to walk up from the city,” Fenna replied.

               A female asura in a beautiful set of blue and white robes walked up to Calan, tapping him on the shoulder. “Excuse me, I didn’t want to rush past, I have the seat next to… Fenna?”

               Both looked up from their soft embrace to discover Dr. Lynn, the first asura to greet them at the orgy club. “Dr. Lynn, you’re here? Forget that, you’re invited?” Fenna quickly realized the potential for misinterpreting her words. “Not that you’re not welcome, sorry, this is just the last place I expected to see you. Please, sit down.”

               Calan and Fenna tucked in their legs to let Lynn pass. “The same goes for you, I understand what you mean,” she said. “I’m friends with Jinxx’s krewe. Long story short, I helped her krewe out of a… complex situation at one point. Patched up some injuries for them. Stayed in contact ever since.” She withheld any additional information, unsure of how much Calan and Fenna knew about the inquest raid on Jinxx’s krewe some time ago.

               “Well, we’re in the same krewe as Frixx,” Calan replied. “And his romance with Vicxxa led to all of us intermingling with Jinxx’s krewe quite a bit.”

               “I see,” Lynn said. “Regardless, it’s good to see you. We, um…” she trailed off her speech for a moment. “We’ve got a meeting coming up in a couple weeks. If you’re interested.”

               Fenna and Calan looked at each other, and Calan shrugged. “I told you from the start that I didn’t need to go back, it was up to you. You’re all I need.”

               Fenna had put herself through this scenario a lot since their first time at the club, wondering how she’d respond. With the decision at hand, she made up her mind. “You’re all I need, too, but if we have all we need, we can start to look at what we want,” she said. She turned back to Lynn. “What day is the next meeting?”

 

**

 

               Everyone settled in as soon as music started to play, announcing the start of the ceremony. Frixx came up first, walking with his mother, passing through the public crowd and the reserved seats. The sun warmed his skin, while a soft breeze made the trees seem lively, as if they too took interest in today’s events.

               Frixx took his place to the right of Darren, who offered to officiate the wedding. Though retired to the life of a krewe leader, in his time as Pact Commander, Darren received many requests to play such a role; soldiers in his command considered it an honor. He performed as many as time allowed, until he needed outside help for his own wedding.

               The music changed key, and Frixx took a breath before looking at the crowd. From the back approached the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. White hair, black and white skin, sky blue eyes. He chuckled to himself at the color of her wedding attire; red, but a brighter shade than his. Their shared minds almost picked the same color.

               Vicxxa walked with her sister, who passed her off a few feet before she took her place. Frixx and Vicxxa looked into each other’s eyes, the smiles on their faces spreading to everyone in the crowd.

               Darren nodded to each of them, then looked to the audience. “To asura, love is a tricky thing,” Darren said. “It clouds our judgment, eats up time, and gets in the way of progress towards ingenuity and new research. And yet, nearly every asura decides to make that sacrifice, pull time and resources away from their ambition and invest it in emotion. It’s always worth it. That being said, we are still efficient creatures, I’ll keep this short.”

               Vicxxa bowed her head to hide her laughter while Frixx gave Darren a playful punch on the arm. The guests didn’t try to hide their laughter, and Darren paused a moment to let the volume die down again.

               “Love is the most powerful force we have to offer. I’ve seen it in every race I’ve interacted with. In one way or another, love is what we fight for. Love of a spouse, a child, a home, a country, or Tyria. If we remember what love can do, we’ll change the world.

               “For those who aren’t asura gathered here today, I wasn’t completely joking when I spoke of efficiency. There is only one tradition in our wedding ceremonies: vows. Once done, we can help these two celebrate their newfound love together. Frixx, please begin.”

               All in the audience grew quiet, their eyes turning to Frixx. He offered up his hand, and Vicxxa placed hers on top of it. He held her hand gently as he began to speak. “Vicxxa, when I met you, I wasn’t looking for love,” he said. “I was just happy to be alive. But now, when I’m with you, there’s no better feeling. Tyria is lucky to have the amount of love you hold in your heart. I wake up in disbelief that I get to share in that love. I will always be there for you.”

               Darren let a few moments of silence pass by, to let Frixx’s words sink into the hearts of those present. “Vicxxa, you may start.”

               Vicxxa took Frixx’s other hand, her grip on him keeping her calm. “Frixx, you’ve been a perfect match for me since the start,” she told him. “When we began our relationship, we were just having fun, with no idea what we might want in the future. At that point in my life, I needed that. As time progressed, you showed me just how much you cared, how much effort you put into making sure I was happy. And happiness was… something I didn’t realize I was missing, for a long time.”

               She blinked a tear out of her eye, maintaining her composure. “I can’t change what happened in the past. But with you, with Evann, I have a second chance at a wonderful future. You taught me not to let myself be paralyzed by my past, and knowing that now, I plan to move forward with you.”

               Darren smiled at both of them before turning to the audience. “Ladies and gentlemen, Frixx and Vicxxa are now bound in marriage.”

               Frixx pulled Vicxxa into his arms, and everyone stood up from their seats to cheer. As the tension eased, the bride and groom each broke into tears, an incredible joy overcoming them.

 

**

 

               “I don’t know, I miss the angsty, brooding Crados. He could kill you by looking at you.”

               “Crados is still like that. He’s showing a different side of himself, but I’ve seen him on the battlefield. Cross him, and he’ll squeeze your head to a pulp.”

               Calan gulped at Fenna’s advice, the imagined image of Crados lifting him off the ground by one ear juxtaposed against the real image before him. Crados wasn’t one for parties, but he wanted to see the wedding. The charr had volunteered to take care of Evann and Jessa during the festivities. Crados lied down on his side pushing a ball back and forth, first to Jessa, then to Evann. The trio rested under a tree, far enough from the main party to have some quiet.

               “I gotta say, I’m surprised to see you doing this, Crados.” Calan worked up the courage to explore his curiosity in the matter, walking up to the charr.

               “There was a time when I’d have said the exact same thing.” Crados set the ball aside and sat up, the progeny’s attention span still short enough to quickly forget about the game. Evann and Jessa started pulling at grass while Crados leaned against the tree. “But I took care of just Jessa once, and I see now why other races don’t work like charr, taking care of their own cubs.” He smiled down at the two little ones, now grown enough to at least be bigger than his hand, but still incredibly small compared to his massive form. “You watch them grow and teach them things. I’m teaching them already.”

               “Teaching them what?”

               “I’m not in the krewe lab all the time, lot of work going back and forth with the Order of Whispers,” Crados said. “I’m teaching them to beat you into the ground if you ever hurt Fenna.” He waved to get Evann and Jessa’s attention, then pointed to Calan. “Evann, Jessa, show him your claws.”

               In unison, Evann and Jessa raised their hands above their heads, curling their fingers like claws. “Rar!” they shouted, before giggling and losing focus again.

               Calan shook his head, hoping he got rid of his wide-eyed stare before Crados noticed. “I see,” he said. “Well, Fenna and I are still going strong. I’ll, uh… keep that in mind.”

               “Enjoy the party,” Crados said.

               When Calan turned back to Fenna, she grinned and immediately mouthed _I told you so_ at him.

 

**

 

               Frixx and Vicxxa wrapped their arms around each other, dancing in slow circles to soothing music. Frixx pressed his forehead against hers, unable to shake off the smile on his face.

               “Here we are,” he said. “Married, a progeny, and a new life ahead of us. How do you feel?”

               “Like I’ve never been happier,” Vicxxa replied. She slowly ran her hands up and down Frixx’s back. “I’m ready to spend the rest of my life with you. Watch our progeny grow into a genius, work in our krewes, and enjoy life to its fullest.”

               “I couldn’t ask for more.” Frixx pulled his head back to look into Vicxxa’s eyes. “You’re the odd one out on your krewe now, given their usual antics. See anyone else in your krewe settling down?”

               She paused to think through everyone she worked with before responding. “If anyone, Nix, but I don’t think so,” she said. “Casual sex is Jinxx’s business model. It’s how she keeps morale up in the krewe, and people with like minds joined. What about your krewe? They don’t act like my krewe does, but there are some relationships going on.”

               “Honestly, I suspect Calan’s little sister will marry Arin before Calan and Fenna get married, even though they’ve been together for less time,” Frixx said. “Calan and Fenna are more about the fun, Arin and Ami like the romance. As to the rest of the krewe, they’re either already married or I’ve heard no news of them even dating.”

               “Fair enough,” she replied. The song ended, and Frixx and Vicxxa brought their dancing to a halt. Vicxxa kissed him on the lips, and they held each other for a few moments more.

               “I love you,” Vicxxa said.

               “I love you, too. Time to start the rest of our lives.”


End file.
